Drag Kids

By: Amos Lassen

"DRAG KIDS"
Four Youngsters
Amos Lassen
Four very different drag performers under twelve-years-old meet and celebrate themselves in Megan Wennberg's documentary" Drag Kids". Nemis, Stephan, Bracken, and Jason have dealt with tremendous scrutiny over their brief drag careers, but what we see is a celebration. We follow the four young people as they prepare for the biggest performance of their lives at Montreal Pride where they demonstrate "the importance of artistic expression, community-building, and non-judgmental support for people of all ages." This is a film about about gender, art, and affirming parenting that makes you both laugh and cry.
Despite their different skill sets and birth gender assignments, the four are all pre-pubescent children who participate in the art of drag. The most famous of these children is Nemes, who goes by the name of Lactatia, a Quebecer who's already being heard in the drag scene and has a worldwide following. Wennberg shows all four as they practice their moves before they go out into their regular gigs, each bigger after the one before.
We watch the children make decisions about how to appear in public and gives us a glimpse of the local scenes where these queens perform, which is mostly in the global north.
Lactatia invites the other young queens to perform in Montreal where they perform a number together yet they're on stage as individuals with artistic minds. There's also something fascinating watching adults cheer on children who are being their true selves.
Children and drag queens have a lot in common so it's only natural the mainstreaming of drag is attracting younger kids. We have four very different youngsters from different cities who are drag queens, but don't know any others their own age. They meet in Montreal and prepare for a Pride performance.
Director Wennberg captures the disappointments that come with liking something as a kid that is primarily accessible to adults and the joy of misfits meeting members of their own tribe. The high-pressure performance and meet-up conceit instigated by the documentary shows their insecurities and obnoxious behavior. Drag queens, like children, can be quite mean. Though Drag Kids is refreshingly open-minded about gender, it misses opportunities to go deeper into the more complex and uglier emotions that reflect the acceptance narrative.
Laddy Gaga, Queen Lactacia, Suzan Bee Anthony, and Bracken Hanke are the stage names for the kids in the film that film focuses on them. They strut and sashay around the house, get up on stage individually, and then perform Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' at the Montreal Pride Parade.
The kids are charming, hilarious, and have enough sass and confidence to back up their aspirations. They have great one-liners and that take down the patriarchy, religion, the 80s, homophobia, and general intolerance towards them.
The documentary champions self-expression and champions the people that support it. The parents of each of the four drag queens are encouraging and show kind love. It's hard to keep a grin off your face as you watch.