The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Seen it?2017 | 105 min | Documentary
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- A natural pick for armchair detectives and anyone who likes corsets, castles and court intrigue. The investigation drives everything, one lead at a time. Critics like it more than audiences, which usually means it takes its time or takes risks.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 45 min.
- What might put you off
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
- Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.
Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
Our audience score: 60%
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 11K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by David France
- Marsha P. JohnsonSelf (archive footage)
- Victoria CruzSelf
- Sylvia RiveraSelf (archive footage)
- Taylor MeadSelf (archive footage)
- Pat BumgardnerSelf (archive footage)
- Vito RussoSelf (archive footage)