GURL is a 2020 New Zealandershort film directed, written and produced by Mika X. The film premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival as part of the "Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts 2020" selection curated by Leo Koziol and Craig Fasi. GURL tells a story of Carmen Rupe experience in the context of being both Maori and LGBT: "The infamous Māori Drag Queen Carmen 'Gurl' finally accepts her-true-self when she falls in love with a fading rugby star on an ill-fated night in New Zealand 1975." This short film is a prequel to the feature film "The Book of Carmen" which is currently in pre-production.
Synopsis
A musical fantasy with a surprisingly tender love story at its heart, GURL takes place one frantic night as a beautiful young sex worker waits for her salesman lover to whisk her away from her last night on the stripto livehappily ever after. But it's 1975 and she's a Maori Drag Queen, he's not the "white knight" he said he was. Written and directed by Maori entertainer/cultural activist Mika X, GURL is deliciously immersed in the Maori Trans underworld of the 1970's New Zealand, creating not only a gritty authenticity but also a warm tribute to a friend, Carmen Rupe, NZ's infamous Maori Drag Queen, pioneering brothel owner and gay rights activist. It's a story of shifting realities. At first, we see GURL through Carmen's eyes - a vibrant, sexy young version of herself. But look in the mirror poses more than an intriguing question. Carmen lives her life as a fantasy, forever believing that her white knight in shining armour will sweep her off her feet and take her away. In reality, this 22-year-old is already in her late 60's, sashaying through life believing she is still a young pretty girl she was in the past and still searching for love in all the wrong places. The story of Carmen and Ed, a former professional rugby player, plays out in the mid-70s gay nightclub scene where "Coffee" is a code for every sensual delight imaginable with the price of entry a toasted sandwich. Carmen's "Coffee" lounge is a vibrant, harsh world of colour held together by courage and humour under constant that from a savage, moralistic society. A haven for all who felt they didn't fit in. It was "coffee downstairs and sweets upstairs". The Beautiful drag queen carmen preside over this erotic world. She performs her services with aplomb while mentally calculating her grocery list: "eggs, baked beans, coffee, milk". A tender love story at heart, GURL is a unique blend of Mika's authentic Maori voice, fantastical vision and poignant tenderness pulsating with his original music, production. energy and aroha.
The film premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival at ASB Waterfront Theatre on 26 July 2020. The film was also be available to watch online until 2 August. The film was screened in the first weekend of August at Rialto Cinema Tauranga, Monterey Howick Cinemas in Auckland, Regent cinema in Dunedin, Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth and Roxy Cinema in Wellington.
