Alaska Is a Drag
arrayWrapping up ARRAY's incredible 2020 which saw the distributor give multiple diverse voices and perspectives a proper platform on Netflix to be discovered and enjoyed, Alaska Is a Drag serves as Shaz Bennett's feature directorial debut and looks to give a voice to the queer community that can feel trapped within the smaller conservative towns of America. Leo (Martin L. Washington Jr.) is a young gay man living in Alaska with his sister and father, trying to navigate life in a largely homophobic town while also trying to save money to move away with his sister. Whilst the representation within Alaska Is a Drag is commendable, the film overall suffers from quite a few storytelling issues.
The largest of these issues would be the conflict found within the town that Leo lives in. In a film clearly attempting to find an authentic and real voice, the actual antagonists of the story feel completely void of that reality. Those who make Leo's life a living hell, torturing him both socially and physically for his sexuality and expression of authentic self, feel almost comedic in their hate. Consistently finding Leo and making fun of him or beating him up in an incredibly over the top matter; these scenes and characters only amount to a small fraction of the emotional power they are clearly supposed to provide. This gets even worse as the film then attempts to humanise them but really struggles to find a compelling thesis or result from this choice.
What makes this weaker conflict stand out even further is the fact that there are deeper compelling ideas at the heart of Alaska Is a Drag already. From Leo's strained relationship with his father – who is on his own journey of understanding his sexuality to the resistance of the LGBTQ+ community – to finding safe spaces and community even in troublesome situations, the film has intriguing ideas but chooses to push them to the background in an incredibly frustrating manner. It can be inferred that this comes from the fact that director and writer Shaz Bennett is a white woman who isn't gay and isn't from Alaska so her outlook on this perspective just simply isn't that authentic. Though it is still good for someone to use their platform to promote these ideas and support these marginalised communities, it is clear that there needed to be more diversity in the writing room to authentically capture this experience.
The one major story that does shine is Leo's relationship with his sister Tristen (Maya Washington). This connection largely is the emotional backbone of the film and gives the film the majority of its weight. Tristen is suffering from cancer and doesn't want to die in Alaska, she wants to move and see both herself and her brother blossom in a better environment, but financial strain makes this a fleeting dream more than a set future. This is a captivating and genuinely moving relationship that feels authentic and worthwhile. This is largely due to the performances from Martin L. Washington Jr. and Maya Washington, who are both personable and honest. Their connection is clearly the most legitimate thing within the film and consistently is able to pull the audience back into caring about these characters.
The other major highlight would be some of the technical aspects of the film. Alaska Is a Drag is fantastic at managing atmosphere and tone, which ranges from intimate warm bars to the cold Alaskan wilderness. The film truly transports you into this world and even if the social dynamics don't quite connect, at least the world of the film does. The editing within the film also stands as inspired and quite effective. From quick cuts tying various personas and emotional ideas together to overlapping different scenes together into one image, Alaska Is a Drag takes risks and luckily has the craft for them to work out quite well.
Alaska Is a Drag might not be a flawless film or come close to being the best queer film of 2020, but the film still has enough that works to not be a total disaster. Within the film, there clearly is a good heart and every once in a while the stars will align and there will be a scene that strikes hard with emotional power; it just is sad that those scenes are so far and few between overall.
