Saturday Afternoon
June 12, 2021
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
on NetFlix
2017 [TV-MA] 1 h 45 m
GENRES: Documentary Films, Social & Cultural Docs, Biographical Documentaries
THIS FILM IS: Investigative, Emotional
As she fits the tide of violence against trans women, activist Victoria Cruz probes the suspicious 1992 death of her friend Marsha P. Johnson. The camera follows the investigator/volunteer’s work on the old case methodically, and persistently as they are with finding answers. Simultaneously chilling and heartwarming, this documentary frames the real, dangerous experience of being, or what it was like to be, a trans* person in the United States — and more specifically, one of color. The movie reminds the viewer how far we’ve come, but also how far we have yet to go. It celebrates the heroism of people who died for what should never have been considered either heroic or sinful: the right to just be themselves.