Directed by Deirdre Timmons
At Quad Cinemas
Runtime: 91 min.
Going to a burlesque show is a completely different experience than being in a burlesque show. While I enjoy watching the ladies (and some men) seduce me with a hip thrust, a gentle tug on sateen glove or with a shy puckering of the lips, I have never really wanted to be on the other side of the curtain. Some people do, of course, and how they manage to get on stage and strip down was still a mystery to me until I watched a new documentary about becoming a burlesque star.
In Deirdre Allen Timmons’ A Wink and a Smile, she delves into the making of a sexy performer by infiltrating Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque in Seattle. There, the women have six weeks to find their inner diva and get comfortable enough in their bodies and minds in order to take the stage wearing only tassels and glitter. Between clips of more seasoned performers—like Kitten la Ru, Vienna le Rouge, The Shanghai Pearl, and past graduate, Waxie Moon—Timmons’ peeks into the classes and interviews students and teachers.
The point of the film is best phrased by one of the students’ view on burlesque. “Burlesque can take any body type,” Megan, 23 said. “And it’s amazing.”
This idea circulates in Timmons’ documentary. She ascertains burlesque goes beyond gorgeous, thin and perfectly shaped women. Performers can be men (and a bit of history in the film brings up early burlesque acts, which used to be done only by men) and they come in all sizes, backgrounds and ages. She emphasizes it’s about finding confidence in yourself and your body, and once you reach that state of mind, the rest becomes fun.
Timmons’ main characters in the film are 10 women ranging in ages 21 to 51, who all have different reasons for wanting to try burlesque. Vicky, 35 and a singer, thought, “It might bring me closer to my own art, and help express myself through opera.” Sara, 21, did it because, “It would be fun to try something new and outside my comfort zone.” Then there is Diane, 51 and the only mother in the group. Her reason to try burlesque: “I wanted to bring back the beauty of sagging breasts.”
Not that you see any full-on nudity. Seattle laws state that in order to stay legal, nipples must be covered in a place that serves alcohol, as well as most of the butt crack and pubic line. Some of the filler acts certainly get close, but all proved tasteful. One of the things Miss Indigo Blue teaches her students is to tap into their creativity to build a unique show. Not only do they learn how to shimmy a feather boa between their legs, but they also train to create individual acts. Each student at the end of the six-week class has to perform her skit in front of people, the true test to mastering the art of burlesque.
Aside from informing the viewer about the making of a burlesque performer, A Wink and a Smile also shows that not everyone is made for that life. While some people struggle to let go and shake their tits, others find they just can’t do it. One woman drops out, one cries, “What am I doing?” while another beams the whole time as she finally feels liberated to show herself to the world.
Many approaches to a documentary of this sort could have tended toward the tasteless. Timmons, however, managed to go beyond lowbrow expectations to show this subculture by making it sexy without being about sex, emotional without drama and informative without redundancy. Like the art of burlesque, the film proved to be about the performance, not about getting naked.
