Paris Is Burning

Half sad, half exuberant.

The earnestness of the competition is what holds this film together.

There is a lot of common sense and natural wit behind the role-playing. Yet there is also a terrible sadness in the testimony.

[The film intercuts] ball scenes with interviews with the participants in less hectic, more reflective moments. It is those personal, humanizing moments, much more than the hectic, eye-catching hubbub of performance, that truly linger in the mind.

If the wit, glamour and mind-boggling outfits of Paris Is Burning are disarming, not far beneath the film's surface is an immensely moving quality.

If all you know about Voguing comes from Madonna, this spirited and heartbreaking documentary from first-time filmmaker Jennie Livingston will be an eyeopener.

Paris is Burning is still an important film 30 years after its release - a snapshot of a specific time and place that humanizes its subjects and allows those of us in a place of privilege to understand them better.

A scintillating example of how art can serve life without compromising its objective of adding meaning to our journey.

Not since Andy Warhol's The Chelsea Girls have I been so taken and fascinated by such a gallery of real-life, stunningly etched characters.

Although the film has its dark moments, Paris Is Burning is mostly upbeat, and the overall message of the movie is heartening and humane.