Solo (in-person & online)

Théodore Pellerin, Félix Maritaud, Alice Moreault, Anne-Marie Cadieux

Simon (Théodore Pellerin) is an ingenue in Montreal’s drag scene, though making his name as Glory Gore, beautiful costumed by his beloved sister Maude (Alice Moreault). Simon’s life begins dancing on an edge when two bewitching figures (re)enter his life: his mother – an opera singer who deserted the family to chase her ambitions – and new collaborator/competitor Olivier (120 BPM’s Félix Maritaud), a fellow drag queen. Simon, a true innocent despite his outrageous drag performances, is tested when Olivier struggles to share the limelight with his new love, while their double act takes both to new heights of success.

Despite the delicious vamp of the outré drag performances, this is also a film with more than enough sensitivity in the moments when the sequins are off, the mascara is wiped away and truths too complex for the spotlight begin to show through. The third collaboration between lead Pellerin and writer-director Sophie Dupuis, Solo gives a rich and authentic sense of a thriving drag community in Canada, but offers plenty of intrigue in an All About Eve-esque tale of ambition and jealousy.