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Film Review: Vulveeta (2022)

by Emily Nagle

Vulveeta” has made its debut at LGBTQ+ film festival NewFest 2022, and is ready to rock your world.

This mockumentary follows a riot grrrl band called Vulveeta that’s reuniting for the first time in 20 years, just in time for former lead singer Grrrilda Beausoleil’s (Maria Breaux) 50th birthday. Grrrilda ghosted the band right before they got big, but now she’s ready to rock again. However, the punk scene has changed drastically since those days, as have her former bandmates.

Former drummer Killer Child (Dakota Billops-Breaux) is working odd jobs to save up for college, rhythm guitarist Gordonx Garcia (StormMiguel Florez) now works in social media, and one of the band members Susan (Ruby Goldberg) refuses to even see the camera crew. Not all of them are thrilled to get the band back together, but it doesn’t matter, because they’ve only got one week to prepare for their reunion show. To add to the excitement, a camera crew is documenting the entire adventure.

https://twitter.com/NewFestNYC/status/1578461452402163712?s=20&t=_eWFwxx9NFc13hVsvAVEDA

This film is entirely improvised, which allows the dialogue to flow better and gives it a more authentic feel. We get to know the characters intimately through confessionals that are reminiscent of reality TV. And much like the punk scene that started back in the 1990’s, it’s got plenty of DIY flair (including the opening credits, which are reminiscent of zines from the time period). For example, KC’s phone vlogs reveal that she’s on board with Vulveeta’s return because it might give her a shot at college.

Not only is “Vulveeta” raw and authentic, but it’s also super empowering! Riot grrrl first started as a feminist movement in the 1990s, but Vulveeta is different in the sense that the band includes trans members. That’s not something you see every day, and in that sense, “Vulveeta” is a bit of an underdog story. We watch this group of people that initially wants to move on from their music days, but then they all get back into it to create something incredible. Check out the trailer below.

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