Love, faith, and civil rights collide in the south as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to explore the meaning of belief. Gospel drag shows and passion plays set the stage for one hell of a show.
I had the pleasure of seeing this film at “The Center,” short for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center here in NYC, where they always show the most amazing movies. The room was packed and every seat was filled with people from all walks of life who came together to support this film and the LGBTQ community. The energy in the room was incredible which added to my excitement. The lights finally dimmed and in the opening scene, we see a giant white statue of what appears to be Jesus Christ. At that moment, I laughed and knew this was going to be good.
“The Gospel of Eureka” focuses on couple Gregory Lee Keating and Walter Burrell who live in a small conservative town in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. They are homosexual, consider themselves Christians and still run the hottest underground bar in town where everyone is accepted and can be themselves. They refuse to conform to society’s standards of who they should be and they build a community within the community that doesn’t accept them. Their bar fun, eccentric and features the most incredible performances by Drag Queens that surprisingly includes gospel and church-themed music. Gregory and Walter share their experiences of what it’s like feeling comfortable with being a Christian and expressing religious beliefs even when those same beliefs are considered wrong by society.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the town, Christianity and other conservative values are taken very seriously and the locals are clear about not wanting to integrate or accept homosexuality. Just as Gregory and Walter have created their own community, the town has their traditions as well and one of the biggest events they put on is an intense performance they call “The Passion Play.” It is a performance about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the whole town comes out to watch.
What I love about this movie is that directors Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri captured such a beautiful element of redefining what religion and God means to each individual. There is not one moment where you see both sides fighting one another. Instead, they made a clear decision to be understanding and show compassion. I thought this movie was thought-provoking and opens up a conversation about bigotry, beliefs, values, and religion. The vibe of the film was not super intense, I didn’t I leave angry, it was actually quite funny. Think about Drag Queens dancing while singing about the bible. You laughed, didn’t you? It was hilarious but at the same time very serious and had many sad moments. Directors Donal and Michael mentioned in the Q&A afterward that they didn’t want to show any clashing of the community, that it would have been too easy. Instead, they went for compassion and admitted that it was not easy being kind to the conservative Christians. Definitely, a must-see no matter what your beliefs are.
In theaters Friday, February 8th
