Rent Paris Is Burning (1990)

Elegy in Sequins - Paris Is Burning review by griggs

Beautiful at times, always insightful, Paris Is Burning is less a documentary than a time capsule that still feels electric. Shot in the late ’80s, it plunges into New York’s drag balls and the houses that sustained them, showing a community inventing its own stage, rules, and family. The joy of “realness” and the strut of the runway are front and centre, but the film never forgets the grit beneath the glitter.

What makes it remarkable is the balance of bravado and vulnerability. Contestants strike poses worthy of Vogue covers, then speak candidly about the harshness of living outside them. Gender, race, class, and sexuality collide in a city that offers freedom with one hand and exclusion with the other. Their wit and resilience shine even when the backdrop is unforgiving.

Jennie Livingston captures it all with intimacy and clarity, celebrating even as she mourns. The closing “in memoriam” reminds you how many voices were lost far too soon, turning the film into both celebration and elegy. As a record of a scene too often erased, it’s invaluable. As a portrait of survival through style, it’s unforgettable. Paris Is Burning is a ball that still blazes, decades on.