I AM DIVINE by Jeffrey Schwarz

At some point someone says about Divine that he wanted to be a movie star, not a drag queen. The difference is that this is the story of someone who has a dream and wants to be someone – but not someone else. And that is precisely the point of I Am Divine, a documentary by Jeffrey Schwarz that aims to take a closer and behind the make up look at him like no one else ever had before.

Born Harris Glenn Milstead, but more commonly known by his stage name Divine, Milstead was an actress and stage performer as well as a recording artist who really made a name for himself by portraying an outrageously extravagant and potty mouthed drag queen. As well as the origins of the character that brought him to fame, I Am Divine really digs deeper and tells the whole story of how Harris experienced his sexual awakening and how when he came out of the closet, he really let loose.

It takes a look at more personal sides, that are exposed through priceless contributions such as the one by John Waters, his friend and mentor, the film director who swept independent American cinema by storm through his collaborations with his muse Divine who headed the cast of crazy characters in films such as Pink Flamingo and Mondo Trasho. This collaboration culminated with Hairspray, their final one before Milstead’s untimely death. This was to be their triumphant entrance into mainstream, and on top of that it was also to be the beginning of show business acceptance of Harris Glenn Milstead as a proper actor with fame that was to go beyond his well-known alter ego.

On top of this tremendous collaboration that marked cinema deeply and probably without it knowing it or being able to tell, Schwarz far from disregards his relationship with his friends, who share their fondest memories with us, and his mother. The story of Divine and his family is indeed the most touching aspect of the story and the one with more harrowing depth. Whilst he was being accepted as a unique performer by expressing his sexuality quite gloriously, acceptance from his parents was to be a lot more complicated. Schwarz pricelessly gets to tell us this intimate side of the tale by having his mother on camera, and the honesty of her contributions is among the film’s greatest virtues.

Divine was really a product and a symbol of sexual liberation that can be pinpointed from the late sixties to the early eighties. This was a time when, not only was homosexuality beginning to be accepted, but it was also influencing popular culture and fashion. Yet, Divine being an icon of these times was more of a welcome collateral damage. She neither sought to become one, nor was she particularly interested in politics. Despite it being inevitable that Schwarz would explore the cultural context that provided the background to his wonderful life, this is more the story of a human being.

It’s also clear that Schwarz has a lot of admiration for both John Waters and Divine. Yet, he never lets his personal love for their works override the greater vision of the film. What is a real treat is that I Am Divine makes use of quirky and fun moments that go beyond the usual talking head interviews and archive footage with little creative touches such as the occasional use of animation and an inventive use of soundtrack – which perhaps most recalls the central fruitful collaboration between director and muse. All this makes for a very insightful and entertaining biographical documentary.

I am Divine is out on DVD