It’s wonderful when filmmakers decide they have nothing to lose. If you are going to make an outrageous quest through the kink scene of Paris you might as well hold nothing back. And indeed Jim Queen holds nothing, and I mean NOTHING, back. This is probably why the film is animated, because what’s shown here is so uproarious it’s unlikely any real actors would be willing to be this bold. The result was the most enjoyable film at this year’s Cannes. Jim Queen will leave you laughing without pause for its 85-minute runtime.
But it begins with a tragedy. Paris’ leading gay influencer Jim Parfait (voiced by Alex Ramirès) – that’s Jim Perfect to English speakers – is filming a new reel at the gym with his BFF/social media manager Nina (voiced by Shirley Souagnon) when he realises he has lost an ab. 😱 Nina is fortunately also a doctor, so she’s able to confirm the bad news: this is the first symptom of Heterosis, a horrible new STD tearing through Paris. What happens to people with Heterosis? A fate worse than death: they stop being gay. 😱😱😱 All through the city gay bars are closing, people are practicing monogamy and minivan sales are through the roof. Even Jim stops wanting to exercise and – and I hope you’re ready for this – starts watching soccer. 😱😱😱😱😱
And yet the catastrophe doesn’t stop there. When news of Jim having Heterosis becomes public, everyone stops following him. Another fate worse than death! Soon Jim’s only social media follower is Lucien (voiced by Jérémy Gillet), a twink in his early 20s who remains in the closet because of his controlling right-wing mother Christine (voiced by Elisabeth Wiener). Lucien cherishes Jim’s book and on bravely sneaking into his first gay club is found by a drag queen named Glamydia (voiced by Harald Marlot), who gives him and us an overview of the local scene. [Sidebar: a round of applause for that name.] But when Jim realises a cure of Heterosis – the Chloroqueer – might exist, Lucien is his only ally as he goes on his quest for it through what remains of gay life in Paris.
During their quest, are Lucien and Jim pursued by a terrifying organisation called The Gaystapo? Are The Gaystapo’s sniffer dogs actually barking men on all fours in bondage gear and dog masks? Is the scenester bar for ‘bears’ populated by actual bears with puntastic names like Robear (voiced by Alexandre Brik)? Does Lucien show off his closet full of sex toys with a musical number reminiscent of The Little Mermaid? When Jim and Lucien are lost in a maze in the park, are butts poking out of the hedges? Is there a karaoke battle? Is there a Trojan Unicorn? Is the offside rule used as a test for how far Jim’s disease is progressing? Is there a drag performance in Rosa Bonheur, Paris’ favourite gay bar? When people escape the Trojan Unicorn, through which orifice do they climb? Well honeybun, what do you think?
Directors Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, who co-wrote the script with Simon Balteaux and Brice Chevillard, clearly had a wonderful time putting Jim Queen together. Every silly gay-themed joke and every dumb gay-themed pun on top of every possible queer plot twist are taken so far that even the most heterosexual audience member will laugh until they choke. To say Jim Queen is a wild thrill ride in bad taste and great fun is a complete understatement. The animation style is clean and simple, like online cartoons, but that means the dirty, dirty imagery is so bold and colorful that it doesn’t offend. The whole experience is transgressive in the manner of drag cabaret acts but with such a sense of joy that things never get gross. Even when the villains are in full flow things are never too much (except the whole film is too much). Lucien is like a little puppy, so thrilled to be bounding after Jim that even the most jaded old queen becomes protective of him. And to everyone’s shock Jim, who is so self-centered that he doesn’t know how to pronounce the word ‘kindness,’ is changed by Lucien’s wide-eyed and eager acceptance of everything and everybody. This leads to a finale that is completely appropriate and also completely shocking. They really do go there! And it’s so wonderfully hilarious that they did.
It is also fair to say that this open-hearted movie which embraces literally everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – about gay life made a big mistake by failing to include any gay women. (The two minor visual jokes referencing Kristen Stewart don’t count.) The ways in which gay men ignore and erase lesbians and bisexual women is boring, lazy and seemingly relentless. This is a major caveat, but if it can be forgiven there is nothing to dislike about Jim Queen. It is a hysterically funny good time.
Jim Queen recently played at the Cannes Film Festival.
Learn more about the film at the Cannes site for the title.
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