DVD Review: Divine Divas

Divine Divas is an affectionate and personal look at a group of crossdressing and transgender artists in Brazil, the first such group to grace the stage at the Rival Theater back in the 1960s. The film is directed and narrated by Leandra Leal, the granddaughter of Américo Leal, who first opened his stage to these women. Leandra Leal has close personal ties to the venue and to these performers, who helped make up her strongest memories of childhood. The film follows the artists as they prepare for a special show to mark an anniversary of the theater’s opening, a show that Leandra Leal herself helped to organize. Ten years earlier, there had been another reunion of these artists to commemorate an anniversary, that one organized by the film director’s mother. That show had been titled Divine Divas; thus, the title of the new performance and the film.

Because the performers are now in their seventies, they have a certain perspective on the history of crossdressing performances, and have many interesting (and often humorous) anecdotes about their struggles. They talk about how back in the day it was dangerous. “You had to be in the closet, afraid, repressed,” says one performer. They talk about the history of their individual performances, and about dealing with censorship and ridiculous rules, even with arrests. They tell some incredible, emotionally engaging stories. The film does include some still photos and old footage, but it mainly focuses on the interviews, on these women’s stories, and on their preparation for the new show.

Interestingly, some of the performers live and dress as women full-time, some are transgender, while others dress as men when not performing. “The uncertainties I have as a man go away when I become a woman. I get so much younger when I’m a woman on stage,” one of the performers tells us. We see rehearsals for the performance, including vocal warmups. And of course we see some of the show. But really the film is about these people, their stories, more than the actual performance. It is a loving and gentle look at an endearing and beautiful group of performers.

Divine Divas was released on DVD on May 8, 2018 through MVD Visual. The DVD contains no special features.