Divine Trash

Synopsis:

The life and times of Baltimore film maker and midnight movie pioneer, John Waters. Intercut with a 1972 interview of Waters are clips from his first films and recent interviews with his parents, his brother, Divine’s mom, actors and crew, other directors, film critics, a film curator, psychologists, and Maryland’s last censor, who shudders at the memory of Waters’s pictures. Also included is footage of Waters making his early movies, culminating in an up-close and in-depth look at Pink Flamingos: the script, the set, the filming conditions, its editing, its distribution, and its impact. In sweet ways, this documentary is also a celebration of Divine (1945-1988). —

Quick Thoughts:

John Walters is well known for creating shocking, trashy, and often revolting films that push boundaries. As a celebrated gay filmmaker, he himself has often said his films are queer themselves. They often contain queer characters or themes. And of course, we cannot ignore the queer icons that make up the main cast of many of his earlier films, such as the legendary Divine and Mink Stole! Their inclusion in “Female Trouble” though are not the only reasons why this is absolutely a queer crime film. Frankly, the storyline itself is absolutely a mix of comedy, dark humor, and crime – Dawn goes on a murder spree by the end!

Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of John Walter’s earlier works. “Female Trouble” is one of the three films within his “Trinity of Trash”, alongside Pink Flamingos and Desperate Living. And I’m not entirely sure why, because I absolutely love some of his later films! With “Female Trouble”, I think my issue is that it’s too much and too absurd. So much that I find it’s easy to get lost in everything that’s happening in the middle parts, paired with not exactly sure why each moment is included other than simply to shock viewers. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good queer film! Many film aficionados absolutely LOVE “Female Trouble”, and let’s not forget that this queer crime film is what gave us Divine’s “cha cha shoes” Christmas scene! Give this queer film a watch, even if you end up not liking it. John Walter’s is a queer filmmaking legend worth checking out!