08/08/2023
To be or not to be yourself? This question troubled the audience who woke up to see the movie "Queendom" at the "Lumbardhi" cinema this Monday afternoon. THe film tells the story of Gena, a queer artist and performer from Russia, and the ordeal being yourself in a society that despises you.
The story begins with the artist's desire to be who they are, a living installation that moves through the streets of the city, dressed in costumes that scream their individuality. They are conditioned to live a double life: by day they must behave like everyone else and merge with normal life, by night, a "creature" from another dimension which attracts the attention of anyone who willingly or unwillingly glances at it.
Another very special aspect that the film deals with is the relationship of the main character with the people close to him and their violent desire to strip the artist of their individuality. The imbalances between generations and mindsets take shape and are shown through the every day situations: Talking to their grandfather on the phone, going shopping in the supermarket, going to school, wandering as free being in a world that belongs to them as much as anyone else.
Doesn't a person have the right to live on their own terms?
"Queendom" is a silent and strong cry to accept oneself, one's reality, the individuality of the other, even if it is completely different from the one the world is used to.
To live on your terms, without hurting anyone? What else is fairer than that?!
By: Ana Haxhimali
Photo: Kushtrim Haxha
