Extravaganza

2018, China, Drag Queen, Mandarin,

Director: Matthew Baren
Release Year: 2018

Synopsis:

Matthew Baren's 2018 documentary "Extravaganza" offers a powerful and intimate exploration of Shanghai’s underground queer performance culture. Shot in the vibrant global city of Shanghai, "Extravaganza" immerses the audience in the world of drag kings, drag queens, and gender-nonconforming artists. As a film that navigates complex intersections of identity, gender, and sexuality, "Extravaganza" serves as both a reflection of contemporary queer culture in China and an insightful commentary on the larger global dynamics at play in queer performance art.

 

At its core, "Extravaganza" is not just a documentary about drag performances but also a poignant study of gender expression, identity formation, and the socio-political realities of gender and sexual minorities in a transnational context. Through its portrayal of local drag artists and their performances in a city that is undergoing significant social and cultural transformations, the film offers an important contribution to global queer cinema. This article delves into the themes and narratives explored in "Extravaganza", examining its intersectional analysis of gender, transnationalism, and queer identity, while situating it within broader academic debates around Chinese cinema, queer theory, and transnationalism. 

 

"Extravaganza" offers a fascinating window into Shanghai’s queer performance scene, focusing particularly on the drag king and drag queen subcultures. These performances, which often exist outside the mainstream, provide a platform for individuals to subvert traditional gender norms and explore alternate identities. One of the key figures in the documentary is Dorian T. Fisk, a drag king whose embodiment of masculinity challenges and reconfigures normative expectations of gendered behavior. Fisk’s performance, which combines elements of hypermasculinity with references to rock musicians, vampires, and iconic 80s cultural figures, highlights the performative and constructed nature of masculinity. In an interview within the film, Fisk reflects on his development as a drag performer, revealing that Dorian was born out of a mixture of his love for rock bands and an evolving process of self-discovery and sexual awakening. Fisk’s journey, as depicted in "Extravaganza", reveals the arbitrary and performative nature of gender roles, inviting viewers to reconsider and reimagine their own understandings of gender. Alongside Fisk, another key figure is Ennis F.W., a drag performer who further pushes the boundaries of gender identity and embodiment. Ennis’ performances challenge binary conceptions of gender, defying simple categorization as either male or female. Miss Jade, a fellow performer, describes Ennis as someone who "blurs the boundary between genders," referring to them as both "feminine" and "masculine" simultaneously. This refusal to conform to the male/female binary offers a radical alternative to the traditional understanding of gender, portraying it as fluid, ever-changing, and unpredictable. The film thus highlights the performative nature of gender, illustrating how performances of masculinity and femininity do not simply mirror a biological truth but actively construct and deconstruct identities. 

 

"Extravaganza" is not just a celebration of queer performance but also an exploration of the transnational dynamics shaping contemporary queer identities. While the film is deeply rooted in Shanghai’s unique cultural context, it transcends the notion of "Chinese cinema" by embracing an international, transnational sensibility. The production of "Extravaganza" itself is a product of multiple cultures and countries. Though the film was made in Shanghai, it involves an international team, with the director, Matthew Baren, being British, and the cast comprising individuals from various countries. This international collaboration reflects the broader cultural flow and hybridization at play in global queer communities. The film raises important questions about the nature of "Chinese" cinema and the complexities of national identity in the context of globalization. The crew behind "Extravaganza"—while producing the film in China and working within the parameters of a Chinese setting—actively resists the traditional labels of "Chinese film" or "British film." In fact, Baren himself expresses uncertainty about how to categorize the film in terms of national identity. This ambiguity reflects the transnational nature of the film, which, despite being produced in China, speaks to the experiences of a global queer community and resists national boundaries. "Extravaganza" embodies this concept by showcasing the creativity, resilience, and solidarity of queer performers from various backgrounds who, despite differences in nationality or ethnicity, share common struggles against societal norms, heteronormativity, and state repression. 

 

One of the most profound theoretical frameworks in "Extravaganza" is its exploration of the term "trans" not only as an identity but as a process of becoming. Drawing on the work of scholars like Jack Halberstam, the film frames "trans" as an ongoing, dynamic process of transformation that goes beyond the limitations of fixed gender categories. Trans is about "becoming," a notion that aligns with Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of "becoming-other," where gender is continuously in flux, always shifting, evolving, and defying categorization. In the context of drag, performers like Fisk, are constantly "becoming" through their art, transforming themselves into embodiments of masculinity, femininity, or something entirely new. These transformations are not just aesthetic but also political, as they challenge and deconstruct the normative structures of gender that shape societal expectations. By embodying and performing gender in radical ways, the performers in "Extravaganza" highlight the fluidity of gender identities and the possibilities of new social relations, where categories such as "man" or "woman" become insufficient to describe the complex realities of gendered embodiment. "Extravaganza" thus extends beyond the realm of performance art and enters the realm of critical theory, using gender performance as a means of questioning the very foundations of identity itself.

 

In sum, "Extravaganza" is much more than a documentary about Shanghai’s queer performance scene. It is a radical exploration of gender, identity, and the power of performance to subvert normative cultural and political structures. Through its portrayal of drag kings and drag queens like Dorian T. Fisk and Ennis F.W., the film presents a compelling argument for the fluidity and performativity of gender, challenging the viewer to reconsider the constructed nature of gender identities. Furthermore, "Extravaganza" offers a critical look at the transnational nature of queer identity in an age of globalization. The film’s production, its international collaborations, and its focus on a queer community that transcends national boundaries make it an important example of minor transnationalism, a form of global connectivity that is driven by grassroots solidarity and affective relationships rather than by capital or state power. By reimagining "trans" as a process of continuous transformation, "Extravaganza" offers a new vision of what it means to perform gender. It provides a compelling space where gender, culture, and identity can be constantly reassembled, unmoored from the constraints of traditional categories and open to infinite possibilities. Through its bold representation of Shanghai’s queer performance community, "Extravaganza" not only celebrates queer art but also asserts the possibility of a world where gender and identity can be continuously reimagined and reshaped.

 

via: youtube

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Image credits: YouTube