Streamers and studios seem to be gearing up for Pride Month earlier this year, as May offers a feast of queer content in the form of groundbreaking reality series, stand-up specials, and heartwarming arthouse films.
Netflix is โโunleashing a torrent of programming, with a new documentary from Anna Nicole Smith; two sapphic-minded comedy titles; a new โQueer Eyeโ; and even a messy, highly commercial dating show. And other streamers have taken note: Hulu, for example, could have the hottest new chaotic series of the month with "Drag Me to Dinner," a competition show that pits a large chunk of "RuPaul's Drag Race" alumni against each other. in an effort to test various hosting skills and, surely, comedic chops.
While there's some lighthearted lineup to be found in the theater as well, including the erotically light-hearted "Will-o'-the Wisp," the month's movie offerings are a bit more sobering. Still, they're not to be missed, especially a title like "Monica," starring Trace Lysette alongside the iconic Patricia Clarkson in what's billed as a step forward in transgender storytelling.
Who knows what the future of entertainment holds, with the effects of the Writers Guild of America writers strike already felt and nominally sincere, Pride-branded content is just around the corner. But at least in May everything is rainbow and sun.
'Queens of the Qing Dynasty'
Following on from her first feature, "Werewolf," director Ashley McKenzie crafts a visually and aurally compelling story about a disaffected teenager and a hospital volunteer who bond over their gender identities. In "Queens of the Qing Dynasty," Ziyin Zheng plays An, a Chinese immigrant who offers a lifeline to the teen star, played by Sarah Walker, after they are hospitalized at a remote facility in Nova Scotia, Canada, following multiple suicide attempts.
โQueens of the Qing Dynastyโ opens in American theaters on May 5.
'Hannah Gadsby: Something Special'
At the start of her new Netflix stand-up special, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby promises a packed Sydney Opera House: "This is going to be a feel-good show." As the comedian well knows, that's certainly not a given when she attends one of her sets. In fact, Gadsby became a household name thanks to her sobering brand of humor, which took audiences by storm when her devastating special "Nanette" premiered in 2017. But in "Hannah Gadsby: Something Special," the newlywed comedian she can't help but spread joy, as they talk about finding love with her producer Jenney Shamash, why handball is the sluttiest sport, and the dangers of joking about rescue dogs in a room full of lesbians.
โHannah Gadsby: Something Specialโ premieres on Netflix on May 9.
"RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars"
It's officially that time of year: the time when the seasoned pros of "RuPaul's Drag Race" return to show off their freshly polished looks and hard-earned wisdom in an effort to win the title of All Star. The eighth season of " RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" features an impressive lineup of fan favorites, from Miss Congeniality winners Heidi N Closet and LaLa Ri to lip-sync killers Jessica Wild and Darienne Lake and category-defying Canadian queen Jimbo. . With all the queens bringing something truly unique to the runway, even if it's an uncanny ability to charm the show's sometimes icy namesake, as in the case of Kandy Muse, only perhaps Michelle Visage can guess who will win a spot on the coveted RuPaul Lounge. of fame.
The eighth season of โRuPaul's Drag Race All Starsโ premieres on Paramount+ on May 12.
'the immensity'
โL'immensitร ,โ a semi-autobiographical feature film by Italian director Emanuele Crialese (โRespiroโ), stars Penรฉlope Cruz as a woman trapped in a dysfunctional marriage that begins to spiral downward, then finds herself, when her daughter (Luana Giuliani) comes out as transgender. Set in 1970s Rome, the retro feast for the eyes has Cruz struggling to navigate the changing city around her, plus her son's desire to transition, in the sort of poignant examination of motherhood by the that the actor has become known through films such as Pedro Las โMadres Paralelasโ and โVolverโ by Almodรณvar.
โL'immensitร โ opens in US theaters on May 12.
'monica'
In "Monica," Trace Lysette ("Transparent") stars alongside Patricia Clarkson and a strong female cast as an estranged daughter who reluctantly returns home to spend time with her dying mother before it's too late. When Monica (Lysette) sees her family for the first time since she was a teenager, her mother, Eugenia (Clarkson), doesn't recognize her due to a combination of illness and Monica's long-ago transition. And yet, an increasingly damaged Eugenia is increasingly dependent on her troubled daughter. Gaining rave reviews when it premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro's title is a calm portrait of a difficult mother-daughter dynamic, a study in forgiveness, and a breakthrough in storytelling. trans.
โMonicaโ opens in theaters in the United States on May 12.
'queer eye'
The Fab Five -- Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown and Tan France -- head to the Big Easy for the seventh season of their long-running reboot of "Queer Eye." With a new set of "hero" nominees, the perpetually positive lifestyle experts tackle food deserts, ableism, and even an abandoned fraternity. And while there's nothing especially new about the season, which, like the six before it, seems to believe firmly in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra, it delivers a poignant dose of group hugs, misty-eyed affirmations, and buffs. of accommodation, courtesy of the hardest-working interior designer in the business.
The seventh season of โQueer Eyeโ premieres on Netflix on May 12.
'Anna Nicole Smith: You don't know me'
A new documentary looks at the media frenzy surrounding one of the most notorious blonde bombshells of the 1990s, Anna Nicole Smith, and the court case that lived in infamy for years after her untimely death. In "Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me," director Ursula Macfarlane interviews close acquaintances of the model and personality made most famous by her marriage to billionaire J. Howard Marshall, 89, and the highly televised legal battle on her fortune Combined with archival footage, the accounts of Smith's brother and his alleged ex-lover paint a picture of a woman well aware of the power of fame and willing to go to any length to achieve it.
โAnna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Meโ premieres on Netflix on May 16.
'Queenmaker: Playing an It Girl'
Artist, producer and multimedia director Zackary Drucker explores the fast-paced world of the first "it" girls in a new documentary that revels in twists and revelations. At first, โQueenmaker: Making of an It Girlโ appears to be a look back at the rise of modern socialites like Paris Hilton, Tinsley Mortimer, and Olivia Palermo through the industry professionals who supported them and the writers who made a career for themselves. cutting. them down. But about halfway through, the nostalgia gives way to something darker, as Drucker turns his attention to the founder of a defunct society blog called Park Avenue Peerage, whose life and gender expression would be shaped by celebrity worship.
โQueenmaker: Making of an It Girlโ premieres on Hulu on May 17.
'Wanda Sykes: I'm a cheerleader'
In her first stand-up special since the pre-pandemic era, comedian Wanda Sykes takes the stage to discuss the sadistic joys of lockdown, raising twins with her cigarette-smoking French wife, and growing up in Virginia with the "mosquito man." โ. While there's a lot to laugh about in the hour-long set, there's more to take away. In "Wanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainer," the self-assured (never again) comedian in her late 60s delves into Black Lives Matter, the Ahmaud Arbery tragedy, police violence, and white privilege.
โWanda Sykes: I'm an Entertainerโ premieres on Netflix on May 23.
'The Ultimatum: Queer Love'
After years of queer audiences clamoring for their own messed-up dating show, Netflix has finally delivered. In "The Ultimatum: Queer Love," the streamer adapts its swinger show format for a group of female and non-binary contestants being discussed by host JoAnna Garcia Swisher. At the start of the series, five couples enter the dating show, and one of them has issued a marriage ultimatum to try out an interim relationship with two of the other contestants, before deciding whether to leave, separate, or stay. with someone new (Confused yet?) This, of course, creates a lot of drama, proving that even queer women can't be friends with their exes when reality TV producers are pulling the strings.
The first season of โThe Ultimatum: Queer Loveโ premieres on Netflix on May 24.
'Wildfire'
Portuguese author Joรฃo Pedro Rodrigues touches on topics ranging from colonialism to climate change in his raunchy new film, aptly named "Will-o'-the-Wisp." At the center of the musical romance set in 2069 is the fictional King Alfred of Portugal, who as an aimless young monarch-to-be (Mauro Costa) signs up to be a volunteer firefighter, then lights a romance station with the much more capable and much more the less privileged Afonso (Andrรฉ Cabral). But the romance between the ranks isn't the only subversive thing going on at the firehouse, as the sci-fi flick also features erotic, ballet-dancing firefighters in their apocalyptic future.
Will-o'-the-Wisp opens in US theaters on May 26.
"Drag Me to Dinner"
Judges Neil Patrick Harris, Bianca Del Rio and Haneefah Wood are joined by host Murray Hill, resident food expert David Burtka and seemingly every queen to have appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race" for a new over-the-top competition series on Hulu. . In "Drag Me to Dinner," two pairs of drag queens go head-to-head to throw the most disgusting themed dinner parties they can think of. Whether it's mother-daughter duos or pairs of squirrel best friends battling it out for the ultimate prize, a golden grater, the competition promises to be fierce.
The first season of โDrag Me to Dinnerโ premieres on Hulu on May 31.
