Metacritic reviews

Thankfully, “Queendom” is not a dull documentary on a fascinating subject.

A devastating, urgent reminder that art can be dangerous and important and political and powerful — especially in ten-inch heels.

I would have liked to hear more about Gena’s late mother and the family history generally, but this is an arresting portrait.

Ultimately, as Agniia Galdanova’s remarkable observational documentary shows, Gena is her own extraordinary creation.

As Gena attempts to live an authentic life in a place which is dangerously prejudiced against her, so Queendom takes shape as a damning portrait of state-sanctioned intolerance and suppression.

It’s hard to understand the emotions coursing through Marvin’s body, as it’s wrapped in gaffer tape or barbed wire in a series of improvised exercises in fashion-as-armour. She admits to fear, but never to doubt as she embarks on her single-minded mission to subvert Russia's remorselessly anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.