Masculinity and femininity take extreme, even parodic and violent forms in this riotous Aussie classic. The main players make up a performing troupe, whose steps are more in sync than their personalities. Tick (Hugo Weaving) is a drag queen marinated by the underground club scene, who has his own reasons for embarking on a journey from a bustling coastal town into the centre of the continent. He is joined by aging diva Bernadette (Terence Stamp) and Adam (Guy Pearce), who time and time again turns his restless, peacocking energy into explosive performance – no stage needed.
Director Stephan Elliott takes a bus filled with makeup, stage outfits, and dolls hanging from the ceiling and makes it speed through the barren desert, and the contrast accentuates both. The main trio does not blend into the scenery like cowboys, but takes to the rocky desert in flowing garments like space-suited astronauts on the surface of the moon.
Priscilla won a deserved Academy Award for its costumes by Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel. The film maximizes both its dramatic and comedic elements with sequins, veils and trains. Also not lacking in style is the song leader of the karaoke-show, Pola Ivanka. Unlike drag artists usually, Ivanka will not be content with just lip-syncing to the soundtrack of the film, but will be performing at the top of her lungs and with all her stage presence.
Kaisu Tervonen