Release Year: 2011
Synopsis:
In At Least You Know You Exist (2011), Zackary Drucker, a visual artist and activist, collaborates with the legendary drag queen Mother Flawless Sabrina to explore the erasure of transgender history, bridging generations and creating a unique dialogue about identity, memory, and culture. The documentary is a profound reflection on transgender history, culture, and performativity—both as a personal exploration of identity and as a public declaration of historical significance for future generations.
The film centers around a series of intimate conversations between Drucker and Sabrina, set in the latter's New York City apartment, which has served as a haven for queers and artists since 1968. Through these conversations and the performance of acts that draw on both the historical and contemporary experiences of transgender people, the film weaves a powerful narrative about the transmission of memory, culture, and identity.
At its core, At Least You Know You Exist is a film that uses the medium of cinema to document, preserve, and reconstruct a historical narrative that has often been marginalized or erased from mainstream archives. It offers an alternative vision of transgender performativity—one that is created by trans individuals for themselves, on their own terms.
The film opens with a conversation between Drucker and Sabrina, an icon of drag culture and transgender history. Sabrina, who has been a part of the queer underground for decades, brings to the table a wealth of lived experience, having pioneered and directed the drag beauty pageant The Nationals from 1958 to 1968, and appearing in the seminal 1968 documentary The Queen. By the time Drucker approaches Sabrina in 2011, Sabrina's legacy is firmly planted in the history of both drag and transgender culture.
Through the dialogue that unfolds, At Least You Know You Exist captures the trans-generational exchange between Drucker—a young transgender woman— and Sabrina, who is an elder in the trans community. This conversation serves as both an exploration of the past and a celebration of the present. Sabrina’s knowledge is vital in preserving the lost histories of transgender individuals, while Drucker’s work is instrumental in pushing these stories into the public eye in ways that are contemporary, compelling, and accessible. Their exchange exemplifies how transgender knowledge and identity have historically been passed down not through written records, but through orality and personal experience—traditions that are often invisible to mainstream history.
By presenting their relationship as one of mutual respect, love, and intellectual exchange, At Least You Know You Exist reflects the unique nature of trans culture—a culture that has been passed down, not through books or official records, but through lived experience and oral history. In this way, the documentary itself becomes a living archive for future generations of trans individuals, ensuring that the history of transgender people is neither forgotten nor erased.
Throughout At Least You Know You Exist, Drucker and Sabrina engage in a variety of performances that are deeply intertwined with the history of transgender identity. These performances are not simply aesthetic; they are political acts that assert the existence and validity of transgender people in a world that often renders them invisible. The film’s emphasis on performance as a medium of communication and self-expression highlights how transgender people have historically used their bodies as canvases for self-creation and resistance.
For Drucker, performance is not only a way of expressing identity but also a means of reimagining what transgender identity can be. It allows her to explore the intersections between her own trans identity and the broader cultural narratives surrounding gender, sexuality, and identity. One of the most poignant moments in the film occurs near the end when Drucker turns to Sabrina and says, “Because of you I know that I exist.” This declaration encapsulates the central theme of the documentary: the idea that through the support, wisdom, and visibility of transgender elders, younger generations can find affirmation and recognition, ensuring their existence in a world that often marginalizes them.
The film also serves as a critique of the way transgender history has been excluded from mainstream historical archives. By using the medium of film to document their artistic relationship, Drucker and Sabrina not only create art but also construct a historical narrative on their own terms. Their film actively resists the notion that transgender identity is a fleeting, marginal phenomenon—it shows that transgender people, culture, and history have always existed, even if they were not always recognized or celebrated.
Mother Flawless Sabrina, with her rich drag history, plays a crucial role in the film not only as a participant in the dialogue but also as a symbol of the enduring power of drag culture in preserving the histories of transgender and queer communities. Sabrina’s work as a drag performer and pageant director in the 1950s and 1960s helped shape the cultural landscape that would later give rise to a wider acceptance of drag and transgender visibility. However, Sabrina’s work—like much of transgender history—was left out of mainstream historical narratives, making it all the more crucial to preserve and document it today.
In the film, Sabrina's home serves as a literal and metaphorical archive, filled with memorabilia from her long career in the drag and queer communities. The space becomes a salon for artists, a sanctuary for creative expression, and a repository for memories of queer lives and histories that have often been overlooked or forgotten. This space is more than just a physical location; it is a symbolic space where the trans and queer community can gather, reflect, and share their stories in ways that are intimate yet expansive.
At Least You Know You Exist is a work of art that challenges conventional ideas of representation. By documenting the relationship between two transgender individuals—one an elder and one a younger artist—the film both presents and critiques the ways in which transgender people have been represented in art, film, and media. The film rejects the idea of a monolithic transgender experience, instead embracing the diversity of experiences within the trans community.
Drucker’s decision to make a film with Sabrina is significant because it reflects the changing landscape of transgender visibility in media. Drucker, a prominent visual artist and cultural producer, is well-known for her work that challenges gender norms and explores the nuances of transgender experience. As an Emmy-nominated producer for the television series Transparent (2014-2017), Drucker has worked in mainstream media to push the boundaries of transgender representation, and At Least You Know You Exist continues this work in a more intimate, personal form.
The film’s medium—16mm film transferred to digital—is also a deliberate choice, combining the analog past with the digital present to create a new visual language for transgender identity. The use of film as a medium not only elevates the artistic value of the work but also underscores the significance of preserving transgender history through modern technological means.
Zackary Drucker and Mother Flawless Sabrina create a vital document that reflects on the past, interrogates the present, and provides a roadmap for the future of transgender culture and history. Through their collaboration, they show how transgender history has often been passed down orally and how, through the act of creating art, it can be preserved and transmitted to future generations.
Ultimately, the film becomes more than just a documentary about transgender life—it is a celebration of transgender survival, resilience, and creativity. As Drucker’s powerful statement to Sabrina attests, the film affirms the existence of transgender people in a world that has too often ignored their contributions and erased their histories. At Least You Know You Exist is a testament to the power of visibility and memory, ensuring that the histories of transgender individuals are not forgotten but are instead preserved for future generations to explore, learn from, and build upon. Through their art, Drucker and Sabrina are not only asserting their own existence—they are affirming the existence of all transgender people, past, present, and future.
via:
artpulsemagazine.com
Trailer:
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