Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...
We meet Caz, who we are later told is a trans man, helping out trans people in community with various activities. People look uptown him. His lover is a famous sportsman, who is actually married. After his unexpected death, even after months, Can is heartbroken and doesn't know what to do. This is when he decides to move back to his town Rurangi to reconnect with his origin. It's been 10 years since he left the town. He is scared because he doesn't want the town to talk about him. He is surprised that people hardly recognize him, including his best friend Anahera, who is on her own journey to connect with her Māori roots, and high school boyfriend Jem, who is surprised but also very happy to see Caz back. He has been lonely and part of him still loves Caz as the person and not the gender. Of course the biggest issue is Caz reconnecting with dad. It seems that its not the transition that has ben a problem for him, but its the fact that Caz didn't even bother to attend hi s mother's funeral when she passed away few years back. He's also under a lot of stress because he's in the middle of a land rights dispute, with a lot of local people depending on him. IN a very sensitive, emotional and journey journey, we see how this group of people stand for each other and are there for each other in a beautifully executed journey and finale.
The core of the series/film is Caz's strained relationship with his father. It is touching to see the delicately evolving relationship between the two men from a state of indifference, to reconciliation, and then a lovely tenderness. And this has been done with so much respect and dignity without making it an over the top drama. Th beauty with which Caz's best friend Anahera takes him in and supports him is also done well. Of course she is also character who is exploring her sexuality. Having said that, Jem's character was one of my favorite in the film. There is a beautifully fluid sexuality and intriguing optimism about this character, who initially recoils at the suggestion that he might be something other than straight, but finds that old passions are easily re-ignited, regardless of gender. He is clumsy, falling over his words but something tells you how much in love this person is with Caz. The scenes involving the two of them are magical. This show is an authentic account of a specific trans experience that we have not seen very much on the screen before. It is an interesting character study. And the fact that all trans roles have been played by real trans people makes it even more special.
The series ends with Caz informing the town who is. I'd very curious to know how he will now eventually settle back into the community and how they will accept him. Definitely worth watching. (8/10)
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