A Revry original, Unconventional is a really well-liked queer dramedy that feels totally different from the usual stuff. The heart of the story is about two pretty eccentric queer siblings and their partners trying to build a family that doesn't follow the traditional rules. It takes a super raw and unfiltered look at queer life, diving deep into things like mental health, addiction, and how complicated identity and relationships can get. It’s not afraid to get messy or show people at their most vulnerable, and it really pushes boundaries while showing a lot of different queer experiences. The first season has nine episodes, and each one is about a half-hour long. The story centers on Noah, a grad student who’s been struggling for years to wrap up his PhD. He’s been with his husband, Dan, for nine years, and they’ve recently gotten married and moved to Palm Springs. While they're trying to figure out how to start a family and have a baby, they decide to shake things up by in...
The film starts with the audience meeting 11 year old Scott, a very feminine-ish boy. The story keeps going back and for the between his childhood, pre adult and finally his life as a drag performer. Scott/Thirsty always had this female persona, which despite being a girl, was much more freer and tougher. His only respite comes in the form of singing and he gets support from his uncle, from his best friend who encourages him to audition for musicals and finally realizing how he has an affinity for Cher, in terms of looks and voice. While all this happens, Scott/Thirst faces all sorts of hurdles like being bullied by neighborhood boy, basic homophobia, gender non conformity issues, even by his boyfriend Christian, who would prefer a masculine boyfriend rather than. Drag queen. Eventually with support of other drag queens, Scott rechristened Thirsty starts her fabulous journey as diva singing in her own original voice.
The film is at its best in its exploration of gender fluidity and the importance of being at ease with yourself. The idea of flowing between identities is shown as the drag acts get ready for their performance. In one of the scenes where Thirsty is trying to get people to come watch his show, he says that, when he is dressed as a man some people find his gender definition complicated but when he is impersonating Cher it is in some ways simpler because everyone is well aware its a guy in drag. Not many films today address this issue, which is a plus. Having said that, if I see this film just from an entertainment perspective, I am sorry, but I didn't really enjoy it. A patchy back and forth story telling timeline is something that didn't go very well with me in this context. I was quite confused initially. But the performance all all three actors (including Thirsty herself), makes this film for san interesting watch. Some of the songs were quite good while others was strictly ok.
This film is something that everyone would have a different opinion about. I can very well see people liking this movie from a critical and importance point of view, but somehow as a film, it didn't do much for me. (3.5/10)
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