Mx Justin Vivian Bond’s raspy-throated narration frames the story as a sprawling tall tale that raises the question, how in God’s name did all these queers end up making the scene in Eureka Springs, Arkansas? The pietistic burg is best known among evangelical Christians for a 4,000 seat amphitheatre located adjacent to a never-finished theological theme park. Visitors still travel from hither and yon to catch its divinely clamorous production, titled The Great Passion Play. Documentarians Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher intercut the presentation with a campy drag show, housed in a bar that’s owned and operated by a couple of long-married and devoutly religious Christian men. Instead of drawing obvious parallels, the filmmakers revel in exploring the similarities between the two diverse factions. The passage of the Non-Discrimination Ordinance 2223 acts as connecting tissue. If nothing else, it’s always a joy to relive the pieing of Anita Bryant. (2018) — Scott Marks
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