Kiki

One thing Kiki does really well is show how these dance competitions are an organizational structure for kids who might otherwise slip through the cracks.

"Kiki" shows us a group of brave and beautiful souls for whom the struggle is, unfortunately, probably about to get even harder.

[An] adroit documentary on the new generation of those in the ballroom and voguing scenes ...

It's an honest examination of the powers, and limits, of subcultures and small communities-and how quickly things can change for better or worse within them.

"Kiki" often casts a rueful gaze, but it's also exuberant and alive, and never despairing.

It explodes with energy, thanks in part to rattlesnake-taut dance tracks from MikeQ and ballroom DJ crew Qween Beat, but mostly from the Kiki kids themselves.

Kiki serves as a reminder that in parts of American and Western society, minorities are still rejected from the mainstream on the basis of dated, racist, and homophobic prejudices.

If for no other reason, you should see Kiki to understand the complexity of subcultures in America and how they are extracted from consistently.

For those of viewers who have never kikied, they should not miss this documentary; for those who have, Kiki offers a refreshing and melancholic look at how far we've come.

What's thrilling is the sense of action and progress among the young activists, who outline both the economic problems here and their mechanisms for survival with eye-opening clarity.

Its population is largely gay and trans people of color, who've found a large and rich support system amongst a scene first documented in 1990's Paris is Burning.

Positivity sparkles in every sequence