- Release year: 2025
- Director: Linus O’Brien.
- Producers: Adam Gibbs, Linus O’Brien, Garret Price, and Avner Shiloah.
- Screenplay by: Avner Shiloah.
- Cinematography by: Warren Kommers.
- Music by: Giosuè Greco.
Synopsis: a documentary on The Rocky Horror Picture Show, its origins and the impact it has had on audiences since it came out.
Shotgun Commentary: one of those documentaries that gives you some faith in humanity.
Review
Strange Journey is a documentary made by the son of the creator of Rocky: writer, actor and presenter Richard O’Brien. It is a wholesome piece that puts “in writing” the impact of this film all over the world. The first to truly embody the definition of “cult movie” for all the right reasons.
First things first, if you have not watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, do it. Right now. If you find a screening of it near you with a shadow cast, that’s where you want to go. However, if you can only watch it at home, that is alright too. Just put it before anything else in your watchlist.
A lot of heart
Now, let’s not pretend: the feature is a B-movie. Don’t expect some high-quality CGI or an incredibly overcomplicated, metaphysical story. In O’Brien’s words, a B-movie has the following ingredients: “direct action, bad casting, black and white values, comic strip dialogue, and 100% belief”. Now, except for the bad casting, The Rocky Horror Picture Show features all of these. Plus, of course, a story that will blow your mind and possibly broaden your definition of desire, connection, and sexuality.
It would be wonderful to be able to say that this is an outdated story and everyone is already sexually liberated and free to love—and make love with—whomever they want. Sadly, this is not the world we inhabit, and 50 years after this film came out, it remains as controversial as ever, especially in light of the surging conservative measures being placed in governments all over the world that limit what people can do with their bodies and determine whether a person is human or not depending on their gender/sexual identity.
This documentary highlights why The Rocky Horror Picture Show is such a popular cult movie. It is not so much its production value but its message and how that message has influenced people all over the world. Its screenings with shadow cast and interaction from the audience have always provided a safe space where people could be who they wanted to be without fear of rejection or even physical harm.
A safe haven
The documentary features an archival interview with two audience members, a young man wearing the signature corset and fishnets of the protagonist of the movie and his friend. The young man laughs at the notion of wearing that outfit—in which he feels completely himself—anywhere else in society. But it is his friend who provides the key statement: “[It] wouldn’t be safe anywhere else, you know.”
There’s a special kind of ache that fills your heart at the thought of people being unsafe just because of their outfit or the way they want to present themselves. An ache that comes not only with pain but with wrath at the notion that after at least 300000 years of existence, humans still haven’t learnt that an outfit is not a synonym of consent or a reason to beat someone up. It was sad enough to hear that statement made in the 70s, but it is even more heart-wrenching to think that in 50 years nothing has changed; in fact, we seem to be going backwards.
All in all, Strange Journey is exactly what it promises in its title. It will take you on a journey into the underbelly of the creation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show; it will show you its evolution and audience impact by the hand of its original theatrical and film cast, plus a few more guest stars and audience members that went to the screenings in the 70s.
Advice to take from this movie:
- It is important to have a safe space in your life.
- Live and let live, man. It is really not that hard.
- Don’t break your head trying to predict what will or won’t work in the entertainment industry; it is almost always unpredictable.
What’s your take? Have you watched Strange Journey? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀