AVClub: Terminology involving gender identity can be complicated, so let’s start there. Viva is a movie about drag queens: The characters identify as men in daily life, but dress as women when lip-syncing to torch songs onstage. These particular characters are Cuban, so maybe it would be preferable to use the local lingo and call them transformistas. This matters, because understanding and acceptance is Viva’s primary concern, which doubles as its strength and limitation. The movie was made not by Cubans, but by two Irishmen, director Paddy Breathnach (I Went Down) and screenwriter Mark O’Halloran (who previously collaborated with Room’s Lenny Abrahamson on Adam & Paul and Garage), and it frequently comes across as a deeply compassionate, heavily researched PSA.
With the new The Crow remake coming soon, we take a look back at the 30-year-old cult classic original–and where the stars are now.
Kaam Chalu Hai Review: Based on true events, this movie is thought-provoking and inspiring
Rebel Moon Part 2 Review: This movie doesn't feel anything new or worth remembering, which is a shame.
