FAQs (film)

The film tells the story of a group of young queer kids who have been discarded by straight society.

They come together to form a de facto family under the wing of an African American vigilante drag queen named Destiny.

FAQs premiered at the 2005 Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival[1] and had a limited theatrical release in 2006.

After filming a porn video and being ripped off by the producer (Arthur Roberts), India (Joe Lia) meets a street hustler.

They stop short at the sight of India standing next to Destiny (Allan Louis) a vigilante African American drag queen pointing a gun at them.

A few days later, as they discuss plans to foment the collapse of the straight world, Destiny, India and Lester meet Spencer (Lance Lee Davis), a graffiti artist and self-proclaimed "bomber," They immediately "adopt" him.

After spending the night together, Spencer and India discover the basher's address inside his coat and decide they want to go bash him.

As the pair pose together nude on a bed, Spencer recites a litany of injuries he has received at the hands of his parents and other straights.

As Vic leaves for work, he passes India, Spencer and Guy with his gun pointed in their general direction.

The Los Angeles Times, while calling Louis' Destiny a "striking mix of Grace Jones and Catwoman,"[3] found that the "campier aspects are not enough to make up for its lapses into melodrama and just plain silliness.

"[3] The Philadelphia City Paper largely concurred, finding the film hard to take seriously with its premise that every gay basher is really a closet homosexual and the concept of Destiny's character completely unbelievable.

While finding a "reasonable tale"[4] in Lewis' story and praising the performances, particularly those of Louis and Lia, nonetheless the conclusion is that the film is "awash in aimless, campless hyperbole and hysteria.

"[4] The LA Weekly offered kudos to Lewis for his "adept[ness] at modulating both tension and free-flowing interpersonal relationships"[5] and praising cinematographer Kelly, but notes that the film "seems less comfortable in its own skin than his other work...the dialogue is blunter, and harder for his amateur cast to pull off, while Lewis’ stridency, however justified, ultimately jars against the film's tender, all-is-love fantasia.