I really enjoyed this movie. I found it incredibly captivating, and the mockumentary format really served as a great vehicle to tackle the main themes of the film. By blending fiction with documentary-style realism, Cheryl Dunye creates something that feels both personal and political without ever becoming preachy.
I thought at times some of the acting broke my immersion, as it felt like characters were reading off lines rather than fully inhabiting the moment. But for a film of this scale made on a tiny budget with first time actors that’s mostly forgivable. The heart of the film is so present that you’re willing to look past the rough edges. If anything it might even contributed to the realism of some of the dialogue as friends occasionally stumble over their words in casual workplace conversations.
One thing I would have liked to see more of is the ending of the relationship between Cheryl and the white woman she dates, Diana. You can see the presumed catalyst for the breakup when Diana sides with Martha Page and apologies to her during Cheryl’s confrontation. But then, in the very next scene, they’re in bed together seemingly fine. The actual breakup, when it comes, feels like a bit of a shock. Not because it’s undeserved, but because the film skips over the deterioration. We don’t get to see the cracks form, we just see the crash. Given how central Cheryl’s personal journey is to the film, spending a little more time on this emotional fallout would have grounded her eventual realisation about Fae and Black lesbian history even more powerfully.
Overall, this is a brilliant use of the mockumentary format and something I would highly recommend. It’s funny, it’s smart, and it’s doing something that I have never experienced in a way that feels both authentic and inventive.
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