Amid the wig reveals, saucy reads, and epic lip syncs, drag is a bold assertion of gay visibility. As inaugural Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka said on the show, drag queens are like the mascots of the queer community.

That sentiment lives and breathes in Boylesque, which profiles Andrzej Szwan, who at 82 years young, performs as Poland’s eldest drag queen Lulla La Polaca. This amiable character study from director Bogna Kowalczyk shares how one person’s ability to bring joy to his community inspires strength in others. Boylesque observes as Lulla performs in nightclubs and marches in Pride parades with her heels on. She defies aging and proves a muse for young people in Poland who emerge from the closet in troubled times.

Pat Mullen, POV Magazine

It’s a love story, Boylesque – there is love for the person drifting into her memories and thoughts, and hope for love to be shared once again, preferably with someone aged 25-99, according to Lulla. What’s so beautiful here is that a story that could easily go from pain to more pain, and show violent rejections and a lifetime of intolerance, doesn’t really go there at all. It inspires much more than it frightens. When Lulla goes out in the streets, dressed up and made up, she is met with affection. She is embraced.

Marta Balaga, Cineuropa