Choosing to end a documentary that centers around specific people with coming back to them later is a common convention in documentaries and narrative films centered around real people/events. However, in Paris is Burning this felt very anticlimactic and that it wasn’t giving the people the film centered on the ending or portrayal they deserved. Willi Ninja who was the mother of the house of Ninja is the first person featured after the time jump. There story and how they have grown and fulfilled their dreams is a sign of perseverance and a reflection on their community, after all don’t all the people featured say they want stardom and recognition, to be somebody, and yet I didn’t feel like the film delved into that. It seemed to me like this story gave the filmmaker the opportunity to end the film with celebration but instead their success is brushed past and the film ends quite sadly. Obviously the most sad part of the ending is the murder of Venus Xtravaganza. The portrayal of Venus in this film felt wrong to me, especially once it is revealed that she was brutally killed. A lot of their story focused on the unsavory ways they got by in life and their dreams of being a “complete woman”. When you take into account that she has since passed it feels exploitative that this is the way she is going to be remembered and she has no say in it. She even says at one point that she doesn’t want to go into detail about what she does for money but that is the focus instead of her being a force in her community which the interview with Angie Xtravaganza briefly mentions. I would understand focusing on her story and death if this documentary felt like it was at large focusing on the hate that trans and queer people of color receive but it all just feels muddled. Then of course the last interview is with Dorian Corey. I think this makes sense because they seem to be a figure who has been in this community for quite a while but the specific clip they used for the ending doesn’t sit right with me. The last line is Dorian talking about how as they got older their dreams shrunk but even some people knowing your name means you have changed the world. If the film had focused more on the effect of the community I think this could be good ending but because it focuses so much on what ballroom is this ending just feels sad, especially because of the tone of voice. In the Guardian article we read Jamel Prodigy, an active participant in the ballroom scene, says that, “Jennie’s film ended with a sad undertone, and I think our message is much more powerful than the impression that she left. We are an inspirational, creative and resilient community.” This was the feeling I got as well, there was the content there to show the power in the community as well as the success of it’s members but they focus on the sadness haunting them instead of the progress forward. To me it feels dishonest to who these people are, from the interviews and videos of the balls you can see these are dreamers and creative, inspired people, I find it hard to imagine they would appreciate being so characterized by there sadness and misfortune. Jamel spoke on that as well saying, “I don’t think it did justice in terms of including the point of view of the community.” It makes me very curious as to what the people who are focused on would say about this documentary now, they would not have been aware of the acclaim it would acquire and many of them passed in the aids epidemic, would they like that this is what people know them as. I think this is an important question and probably one that Livingston should have been asking more.
I completely agree with your take on Paris is Burning, particularly with how its ending misses an opportunity to celebrate the resilience and creativity of its subjects. It’s interesting that the film highlights individuals with dreams and a desire to “be somebody,” yet doesn’t fully acknowledge the achievements and strides some of them made. Willi Ninja’s journey, for instance, embodies the perseverance and cultural impact that the ballroom scene inspired in its members. He rose to fame internationally, showing that ballroom culture could propel individuals toward their dreams. But instead of giving this story the celebration it deserves, his success feels like a fleeting mention, which contributes to an anticlimactic ending.
Similarly, Venus Xtravaganza’s portrayal raises complex ethical questions. The film emphasizes her survival tactics and dreams of being a “complete woman” but then introduces the tragedy of her murder. This framing can indeed feel exploitative, as it captures the more painful aspects of her life without providing her with the dignity and agency she deserves. Her story deserved a more nuanced exploration, one that showed her as a complex and influential figure, not as a tragic tale.
Ultimately, Paris is Burning captures key elements of the ballroom scene but overlooks the full scope of its resilience. Had the film delved more deeply into the power and progress within the community, it could have offered a more honest and celebratory portrayal.
Hey Meredith,
I found your take about the anti-climatic and frankly depressing ending of Paris is Burning to be intriguing; when first viewing the film, I also felt that Jeanie Livingston could have focused more on the community’s resilience instead of hammering home negativity at the end. Still, as the ending processed more over the next couple of hours, I realized it was a very appropriate ending for this type of story for two key reasons.
First, it maintains the film’s structural match to the subjects ‘ lifestyle; ball culture was the fun, emotional, and eccentric part of our focal points’ lives, the only place where these people felt truly happy and themselves. To match this, Livingston places the most expressive and passionate monologues over scenes of energetic nights from these balls. These interviews stand in contrast to the main interviews that take place in the streets, which are far more muted emotionally. Due to this, ending the film with an emotional triumph would have broken this expertly crafted structure, as While Octavia has now achieved her dreams, she has left the ball world and those emotions behind.
Second, I think that ending the film triumphantly would be disingenuous to the community’s struggles. While the Drag community of Harlem was very resilient, conditions still remained very poor for them. Rampant racism and Homophobia did not stop, and from the story of Venus Xtravaganzas’s murders, it seems as if it may have even gotten worse. Ball culture is hidden. The only place where these people feel truly themselves and accepted is hidden. Livingston needed to show the negativity at the end of the film to display how even though these people found a way to create their own positivity, love, and acceptance, society does not feel that way about them; their life is a constant struggle, and while some could achieve their dreams, many others are left behind to vogue.