Over the past decade, we have watched RuPaul’s Drag Race develop from a small show designed to exhibit the art of drag to a small core group of supporters, to an absolute cultural phenomenon, a worldwide sensation and a landmark of contemporary queer culture, enjoyed by a group far larger than the initial core audience. It has served as the platforms for hundreds of exceptional queer artists to have their start, many of whom were immediately launched to worldwide fame as a result of the exposure the show provided to them. One such person is Jinkx Monsoon, who stands as one of the greatest winners in the show’s history, and someone who has benefitted from the ascent to fame that placed them in a position of being something of an ambassador not only to their art form, but to the queer community as a whole. However, before Jinkx Monsoon, there was Jerick Hoffer, the shy and insecure young boy from Oregon who was the subject of Drag Becomes Him, an insightful documentary that aims to peer behind the curtain of a worldwide superstar and trailblazing icon. Now that the adorable and exceptionally gifted Jinkx Monsoon has become a household name that is almost perennial in the queer culture, there has never been a better time than now to revisit this wonderful little curio that centres on the artistic process behind one of the most significant drag superstars of their generation, and someone whose incredible journey is so beautifully captured in this delightful film.

Drag Becomes Him is a film that looks at the concept of transition – not necessarily in terms of the more common use within the queer community (although there are very insightful discussions about gender identity embedded in the film, especially in relation to how the subject came to accept their own alignment with a non-binary view of identity), but rather the process of developing and growing into a particular persona, and how the boundary between the two become increasingly blurred the more comfortable they become. As much as we may adore Jinkx Monsoon and see her as an almost larger-than-life, folkloric figure, there is a person behind the mask, which this documentary aims to reveal. The film tracks Hoffer through their gradual ascent to stardom, starting with a verbal account of their childhood (featuring interviews with family members and friends, in addition to the subject), particularly on the nature of how Hoffer came to accept their sexuality, as well as the desire to abandon the child they had grown up to be, and instead embracing their newfound identity, one that emerges with the help of a wig and some makeup, which is nothing more than a tool to take our main character from Jerick to Jinkx in only a matter of hours, a transformation that is only made more impressive by the confidence and joy exuded when the formidable Jinkx Monsoon steps out into the world, which she knows is her domain, filled with people whose lives will never be the same once they cross paths with this bizarre but lovable eccentric, who is simply the facade for a truly astonishing artist.

However, Drag Becomes Him is as much a poignant character study of someone questioning and then becoming consolidated in their identity as it is a profound and moving celebration of artistic expression as a whole. The reason behind the rising popularity of drag is all centred on how audiences consume it – while there is still a culture within nightclubs and smaller venues in which the art form started, there are factions of it that have grown extremely mainstream. Perhaps the platform afforded has not been wide enough to be fully representative of every kind of drag (since it is a relatively new phenomenon to find audiences around the world embracing it as more than just the deviant behaviour that unfortunately many people still view it as. There is an intricate amount of detail that underpins Drag Becomes Him in terms of exploring the art of drag as a whole – and there are few people better to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process of both literally and metaphorically transforming into a queen than Jinkx Monsoon, who not only has excelled in her specific field, but remains one of the most endearing and beloved advocates for the world of queer expression, dedicating her career to all those outsiders who feel like they could never fit in. This is a film not solely about painting a portrait of an icon in her own right, but using her journey in a way that will hopefully inspire countless other young people to pursue their dream – even if it is not necessarily

Jinkx Monsoon is not the greatest drag queen in her profession (although she is certainly in the running), but she is someone who represents a marginalized community, spending her entire career firmly committed to expressing her art in a way that is reflective of her own interests. Drag Becomes Him is a wonderful documentary – it offers a stunning snapshot into a few years in the life of a truly exceptional artist, whose ferocious commitment to her art is reflected so beautifully in absolutely every frame of this film. Jinkx Monsoon is gradually becoming a cultural icon, a renaissance woman of an industry that has sadly been lurking in the shadows for centuries, but is finally starting to achieve a much broader level of recognition. It’s a beautifully profound, wickedly funny and endlessly insightful journey into both the personal and professional life of the subject, whose ferocity and determination is the foundation for this essential text on both the process of coming to terms with one’s own sexuality and gender identity (especially when they are more fluid, since Jinkx Monsoon is a persona of numerous origins, and constantly shifts depending on how Hoffer chooses to interpret the character at different points), and of artistic expression as a whole. The film serves two purposes – for those who are adherent to Jinkx Monsoon, this offers a deep and insightful analysis of the character’s origins, while also being a wonderful introduction to those who may not be familiar with drag, becoming a terrific entry-point for anyone with an interest in learning more about queer culture and how this art form has gradually taken a much broader viewership, which has become part of the reason behind its enormous rise in popularity, which has afforded many people the opportunity to be unapologetically and genuinely themselves.