Mya Taylor takes on the role of LGBT icon Marsha P. Johnson in this unfocused short film that wants to be more.
Johnson was a mysterious drag queen who may or may not have sparked the 1969 Stonewall riots that ushered in the gay liberation movement. I had to do a little research on her, since the film was not very forthcoming with the facts. Johnson is seen getting accosted by the NYPD, and eventually landing at Stonewall to celebrate her birthday when cops show up to close the place down. The fictionalized version of events are intercut with black and white footage of the real Johnson, laughing and talking in an interview that seems to have gone awry.
Taylor is fine has Marsha, and should be considered for her role if Johnson's life story is ever filmed. It certainly wouldn't be a boring film- apparently drag queens were looked down upon by much of the LGBT community before being accepted, and Johnson's death has never been resolved. Johnson had a history of mental problems as well, ending up on harsh drugs and being hospitalized on occasion. What performer wouldn't want to sink their teeth into this role? However, this short film plays like an extended trailer to try and raise more money for a feature-length biopic. Gossett and Wortzel have a nice small bite here, but again, I had to do some research to find out what exactly was happening.
"Happy Birthday, Marsha!" is middling with just as much to admire as there are detriments. Marsha P. Johnson's story needs to be told soon, and in this age of woke, Hollywood needs to put its money where its mouth is. (* * *) out of five stars from me.
Stats:
-Written and Directed by Reina Gossett and Sasha Wortzel
-Cast: Mya Taylor, Eve Lindley, Grace Dunham, Silas Howard, Ken King, Rios O'Leary-Tagiuri, Kristen Parker Lovell, Cherno Biko
-Media: Streaming on Amazon Prime
-Running Time: 14 minutes
-Rating: (* * */* * * * *)
-Unrated, contains mild physical violence, some profanity, mild sexual references, adult situations, alcohol and tobacco use
