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Resident Alien

Name: Resident Alien
Director: Jonathan Nossiter
Released: 1990
Duration: 83 min

Representation Score

8.8/10

Excellent

1990

Not Rated

Director

Jonathan Nossiter

Runtime

83 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Resident Alien is a deep exploration of identity and the subversion of social hierarchies. By focusing on Quentin Crisp, the film challenges traditional notions of masculinity and social integration through his deliberate non-conformity. The documentary succeeds by presenting the subject's outsider status as a sophisticated viewpoint. It effectively critiques mainstream cultural expectations by highlighting the ability to act of a non-conforming individual. While the film excels in queer and gender representation, its scope is limited to a specific cultural setting in Manhattan. This narrow focus results in less diversity in racial and disability representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Resident Alien have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film serves as a key example of queer visibility. It focuses on an openly gay man whose presence challenges assumptions about sexuality. Crisp's involvement in the gay rights movement highlights his role in driving the narrative.

How does Resident Alien portray gender?

Excellent

The documentary challenges traditional gender roles through Crisp's use of cosmetics. By embracing feminine aesthetics, the film questions the strictness of gender performance and patriarchal norms.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Resident Alien?

Fair

The narrative is centered around a localized character study in Manhattan. While it doesn't promote uniformity, the focus is on queer identity and urban life rather than a diverse cast.

How does Resident Alien represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film excels in showcasing an outsider perspective. It emphasizes an individualistic, secular, and intellectual worldview over traditional religious or patriotic views, using the subject's 'outsider' status as a critique.

Does Resident Alien include disability representation?

Fair

The film explores psychological distress and social isolation. However, it does not center on physical or neurological disabilities as primary narrative drivers or central plot points.

Present on Screen

Strong queer visibility and ability to act.
Effective subversion of traditional gender roles.
Sophisticated critique of mainstream social structures.

Limited or Absent

Limited racial and ethnic diversity within the narrative.
No explicit focus on physical or neurological disabilities.

Official Synopsis

At age 73, writer and melancholy master of the bon mot, Quentin Crisp (1908-1999), became an Englishman in New York. Nossiter's camera follows Crisp about the streets of Manhattan, where Crisp seems very much at home, wearing eye shadow, appearing on a makeshift stage, making and repeating wry observations, talking to John Hurt (who played Crisp in the autobiographical TV movie, "The Naked Civil Servant"), and dining with friends. Others who know Crisp comment on him, on his life as an openly gay man with an effeminate manner, and on his place in the history of gays' social struggle. The portrait that emerges is of one wit and of suffering.

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