Hurricane Bianca (2016)

Hurricane Bianca: Directed by Matt Kugelman. With Roy Haylock, Lola Botha, Grayson Thorne Kilpatrick, Willam Belli. A New York teacher, who moves to small town Texas where he’s fired for being gay, returns disguised as a mean lady to get revenge on the nasty town.

“Hurricane Bianca is a timely, well written and directed comedy production that both explores and envisions the world in which society and our leading character is u0026#39;transu0026#39;forming in the modern era. Without delving too much into the plot (the narrative follows the traditional herou0026#39;s journey of our protagonist teacher Richard who is looking to find his place in romance, work and sense of self), everything in this production was well executed – from the script, to the direction, the acting, editing, music, costume design and cinematography. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe jokes were precisely on point, and what every audience member has been waiting for -witty without being crass, tasteful and topical. But more than anything, it is the themes and the outcome of the film which make this production a 10/10. Depicting the plight many members of the LGBTQI community feel and experience has and is complicated to represent to superficially. Usually LGBTQI films are geared towards one of two target markets – the gay or the straight – each having their own set of media conventions in which the narrative is able to be told. But Hurricane Bianca moves beyond the narrow conventions of one sort or the other, catering beyond the constricted, in a beautifully feminine production, without being obnoxiously or expectedly feminist.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHurricane Bianca doesnu0026#39;t stop there. The film both employs and transcends the clichés of your typical American comedy flick in a way that captivates your attention – despite any prethought you may have had about this generally shallow genre. However using stereotypes was at an advantage to this universal flick, which both holds and is a mirror of life in the 21st century outside of this viewing space. At an 84 minute runtime, herou0026#39;s arc narrative, its collection of disposable and stereotypical characters, the film uses conventions of the familiar to comfort the audience who is about to confront topics which have been all too easy to brush under the carpet. In a world where same sex marriage divides our social structure based on tradition, definition, morals and values this film gives us all a friendly reminder that hey, slow down, these are issues are actually faced by our communities today, and look what happens when we a)forget prejudice, b) take a chance and trust people in society, c) allow ourselves to be who we really want and ought to be and d)for just a moment or 84, live in a world where this is not the ideal, but the norm. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHurricane Bianca is a masterful, well crafted and beautifully presented depiction of the human struggle of self and sexual acceptance that all audience members are able to relate to, and reflect upon. With an all star cast of Drag royalty, this film lifts the bar in professionalism, witticism and exposition of the struggle that is very, very real.”