Tuesday, April 5,2011
Pathology Follies
Joao Pedro Rodriguez continues to focus on freakishness, not freakiness
By Armond White

http://www.nypress.com/article-22282-pathology-follies.html

To Die Like A Man
Directed by Joao Pedro Rodriguez

Not every gay filmmaker is an artist, let alone a progressive artist. Portuguese director Joao Pedro Rodriguez's newest film, To Die Like A Man, is the latest decadent exercise that film culture's hipster gatekeepers promote in order to control queer cinema discourse. This time Rodriguez's insufferable storytelling concerns Tonia (Fernando Santos), a middle-aged drag queen with self-esteem issues. Tonia's nightclub act competes with younger queens (especially fierce Miguel Loureiro, as Paula); he contends with a delinquent son (Chandra Malatitch) and a drug addict younger lover (Alexander David); and he's mentally preoccupied with his impending sexual reassignment.