Directed by Megan Wennberg
Starring Olivia Bailey, Trinity Bailey and Victoria Bailey-Kerr
Running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

by Zoe Crombie

Though it may only have come to light in the past few years for some, children dressing up in drag to imitate the gender roles that surround them is nothing new. You frequently hear of a kid’s inclination to put on their mother’s heels and smear on some lipstick for the sake of role play – the difference is that this behaviour was discouraged in young boys until seemingly recently. This is why the perspective of Megan Wennberg’s fascinating documentary Drag Kids really seems so fresh - these children are playing with performance and creativity as any other child would, and it’s only the medium they have chosen, and their bravery in doing so, that makes them so noteworthy

In terms of the aesthetic approach, Drag Kids made the wise decision to give its subjects room to breathe. While the families of the children are often given conventional talking head interviews, the kids themselves tend to be shown in their element: playing, performing, and perfecting their craft. Long takes and a handheld camera follow the children as they move from dancing to Lady Gaga for their parents in the front room, to rehearsing “Born This Way” for a live performance by the end of the film. Their energy never ceases, and their enthusiasm never runs dry, making for a compelling watch throughout.

Cross cutting between them before they eventually meet for a performance at Montreal pride, Drag Kids charts the burgeoning creative careers of four young drag performers from staggeringly different backgrounds: Queen Lactatia, Laddy Gaga, Suzan Bee Anthony, and Bracken Hanke. While some like Lactatia, easily the most famous of the bunch, have access to high quality wigs, an endless array of makeup, and a fully functioning support system, others are at an intersection where subverting the expectations of their gender identity could prove dangerous. The stark contrast in seeing the sincere yet apprehensive Suzan Bee Anthony, a non-white child from a low income family, put against the well-funded Lactatia and her many trophies and adoring fans, was a brutal reminder that while drag is accessible to all, the societal consequences certainly hit harder for some.

For many, this documentary may be taken as proof that drag has gone truly mainstream; gone are the New York balls and underground houses, replaced by RuPaul’s Drag Race and a legion of straight spectators. In some respects, this may be right. Family drag events are shown throughout the documentary, and the fact that children can find out about the history of drag and its most well regarded performers independently of their parents at such a young age certainly indicates how well established it has become in popular culture. But ultimately, these children are all still treated as outsiders, and all understandably identify as such – their peers, strangers on the internet, and even Trixie Mattel in one bittersweet scene all seem to question their sincerity and love for drag performance. The sanitisation of drag is an issue that LGBT+ groups are reasonably concerned about, but putting the blame onto children who are only looking for a safe place to express themselves feels unhelpful, especially as kids as young as 11 were featured in the seminal drag film Paris is Burning.

In fact, inclusivity is the beating heart of Drag Kids. From including a bio queen (the wise beyond her years Bracken) in the main cast before RuPaul has on his own project, to simply taking the time to fully understand the perspectives of these frequently dismissed children, Wennberg’s care for the rich inner lives of drag performers shines through. This turns the documentary from what may have been a voyeuristic hot-take film into an intriguing record of how drag is perceived in 2019. Whether their careers flourish or recede, I hope that all of the wonderful queens involved find love, satisfaction and joy in their chosen artform, in the same way that a child might in dance, drama, or singing in any other context.

*Premieres Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. at SVA Theatre as the Documentary Centerpiece at NewFest, followed by a Q&A with director Megan Wennberg.