Solo (Canadian French)

Finding one's identity and the search for love can be a difficult undertaking. For many in the queer community, the art of drag is used to gain a deeper understanding of oneself. Putting makeup on, dressing in glamorous outfits, and sporting luscious wigs can unlock an inner confidence. This French Canadian film Solo is not about a drag queen's journey but it explores the passionate highs and destructive lows of a doomed relationship, unravelling a fraught love affair before our eyes.

Simon is one of Quebec’s premiere drag queens. His persona, is known for her fierce dance numbers and awe-inspiring outfits that are mostly prepared by his sister who he is extremely close with. His family including his father is also very supportive of his artistic endeavors.  He is also a successful makeup artist, so it appears that he has it all. But like most of us, he is also looking for love. Enter Oliver, a new performer in the same club and the duo very quickly fall head over heels in love. The two are so infatuated with one another that as their relationship blossoms, they begin to do everything together, including duet drag performances. Red flags of dominating nature of Oliver too start appearing in small doses but Simon is too blinded by love. Oliver slowly makes him not meet his family, blames his creativity, chose if colors and other such things while being passive aggressive about it and also having one-night stands with other folks. We are soon told that Sion's need for love stems from his mother who left them as kids to pursue her singing career and is now very famous in Europe. She is now visiting Quebec for few days and all Simon wants is for her to watch him perform and validate him. Of course, things don't go as planned since the solo drag performance he prepares for his mother turns out a disaster. Slowly Simon also realizes that maybe Oliver is not the right person and breaks up with him. He finally apologizes to his sister whom he had been ignoring and finally tries to find his way back. His final dance performance is absolutely captivating and highlights the power of drag. 

The actor playing Simon breathes life into the character. His nuanced performance feels lived in, perfectly playing both sides of the character. I feel like I need to know more about this actor. He was just brilliant in and out of drag. Most people associate abuse with physical actions, but in fact verbal and emotional abuse are just as scarring on a psychological level and thats what Oliver does. Simon allows Oliver's fits of rage and infidelity to slide and accepts the blame for his egregious behavior. In order to rationalize the situation, Simon reasons that his neediness pushes Oliver to commit these actions. When in reality, like many abusers, Oliver recognizes Simon's insecurities and weaponizes them against him. The film is a painfully honest depiction of toxic relationships. Despite all this, the film maker doesn't make this a melancholic film. Even in Simon’s worst moments, there’s joy to be found in his family’s love, mom aside, and also in the transformative power of drag, an art form which can be notoriously hard to convey authentically on screen. Even though the film does get predictable at him and is to without its share of flaws, Solo brilliantly captures the beauty of love behind the backstage banter and the lip sync celebrations of the drag scene. Eventually when Simon gets rid of Oliver and gets his support system back (his sister), Simon is able to define himself and find the love he sought for so long, not in others, but in himself. Solo is a love letter to the act of drag and a charming reminder of the confidence that lives in us all. (7/10)