I Am Divine

I AM DIVINE
Starring:Divine, John Waters
Director:Jeffrey Schwarz
Availability:DVD Widely Available from Wolfe Video at most online retailers
Rating:

    So, it's Mother's Day.  I figure what better film to cover than a documentary centered around the man who played one of the greatest screen moms ever, Edna Turnblad.  Who is this man, you ask?  Well, unless you are far behind on your cult film education, you will recognize him as the one and only, 300 pound drag queen, larger than life wonder that is Harris Glenn Milstead, otherwise known as Divine.  He was raped by a lobster in Multiple Maniacs, ate dog shit in Pink Flamingos, turned murder into art in Female Trouble, made out with Tab Hunter in Polyester, and showed his true range as the no-nonsense Edna Turnblad in 1988's Hairspray.

    Jeffrey Schwarz's new documentary I Am Divine is a beautiful film.  It's a film that treats its subject warmly, honestly, and gives some fantastic insight into what made Divine such a fascinating underground figure.  One thing a lot of people never seemed to realize was that Divine wasn't a transvestite.  Sure, he was fantastic whenever he was in drag, but that wasn't what he was about.  He wanted to be more than his persona.  He wanted to be taken seriously as an actor.  In fact, there was a deal in place with Troma during the 80s to do a sequel to Pink Flamingos, but Divine wanted no part of it.

    This documentary is also a real treat for John Waters fans as well.  Since Waters was a huge part of Divine's professional life, you get a lot of background into the films the two did together, and the friendship the two had.  They were more than just a couple guys who made movies together.  There was real love there, and it shows.  The behind the scenes footage for their early trash epics feel like snapshots of a truly bygone era.  You can see why these freaks were considered heroes of the underground.  Nobody was making movies like these guys were making, and really nobody has ever since.  Divine had such an unorthodox style of acting that was larger than life.  Even when Divine was performing some of the most offensive, obscene acts ever put on film, you still loved him.

    Divine's counterculture lifestyle ultimately caused his parents to turn their backs on him.  It wasn't until the early 80s when Divine's mother reached back out to her son, and this story creates some of the most emotionally rewarding moments in this documentary.  Divine's mother truly does feel like one of those old school women with fundamentalist Christian views who just couldn't understand the type of lifestyle her son lived.  It's hard to truly be sympathetic with any parent who shuns their own child, but you can tell that his mother had truly come around, and truly loved and admired her son, and even attended a screening of Female Trouble before getting back in touch with him, just so she could feel some sort of connection to her estranged son.

    I Am Divine is not interested in reinventing the wheel.  This is not a film interested in innovation.  Schwarz just wanted to pay tribute to a wonderful, beautiful man, and give his fans a peek into his world that many may not have experienced before.  Hardcore John Waters/Divine buffs won't find much here that they didn't already know, but that doesn't keep this from being a wonderfully endearing, endlessly entertaining, flat out great piece of cinema.  As a huge fan of both John Waters and Divine, it's heartbreaking when you realize Divine passed away at probably the peak of his career.  Can you imagine what beautiful, filthy music Divine and Waters could have kept making together?  If you are interested in the underground, the counterculture, and the just plain bizarre, seek this out immediately.  If you are a fan of the man, chances are this is already an essential part of your collection.

    Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...