Lady Camden, real name Rex Wheeler, lets it all hang out in "Lady Like," a new documentary from filmmaker Luke Willis. The British drag queen, who now lives in San Francisco, was the runner-up in season 14 of "RuPaul's Drag Race." And though he didn't win, the "Drag Race" gig made Wheeler's drag persona a star in the drag world. At one point in the film, while walking down the street, people stop to say things like "I love you!" One hysterical young woman poses for a selfie with Wheeler.
Wheeler got his name from Camden Town, the neighborhood in London where he grew up. When he goes home for a gig, he walks around the old hood, recalling a childhood that included being taunted by local bullies and by the suicide of his older brother Ollie, which affected him deeply.
It's quite moving to hear Wheeler talk about Ollie, who was an artist. He speaks about how the world lost color after Ollie died, and it becomes obvious that he's still affected by his death two decades later.
Wheeler began his performing career in the ballet, dancing with Sacramento Ballet for five years before joining Smuin Ballet in San Francisco. He loves ballet. It was a liberating experience that enabled him to start to let go of the pain he was still feeling about having been bullied. But the drag world called out to him. He had to make a change.
"Drag has me on fire," Wheeler says in the film.
The camera follows as Lady Camden attends a "Drag Race" watch party at a bar in Sacramento, where members of Sacramento Ballet come to cheer her on. There are also watch parties at Beaux here in San Francisco, where the crowd's enthusiasm for her grows.
One of the more moving interludes in the film deals with Wheeler's relationship with his parents. His dad, who was living in Kenya when the documentary was shot, is distant, coming across like he's trying to avoid "Drag Race" at all costs.
But mom is a different story. Mom, who totally accepts her son for who he is, takes the time to travel to the US to sit in the audience for the finale of "Drag Race." In one laugh-out-loud moment, Camden's drag mother explains to an amused mom what power tops and power bottoms are.
The film includes flashbacks to Wheeler's childhood, where a young Rex (played by Shiloh Brody-Clarke) is seen surrounded by his tormentors. The younger Rex co-exists with the adult Lady Camden, trying to get into a club where his older self is performing, only to be turned away because he's underage. There's also an unnecessary animated framing device, narrated by "Drag Race" alum Nina West, which explains how "Drag Race" works, something viewers of a film like this most likely already know.
There is plenty of footage of Camden working with her designers and managers to create the beautifully flamboyant costumes. Perhaps the film's loveliest interlude is a sequence in which Lady Camden dances ballet in full drag and heels (in the Green room of the War Memorial Arts Center). There's no question that she's extraordinarily talented and excels in both of the art forms.
"Lady Like" ultimately stands as a powerful portrait of a queen who isn't afraid to let the world see who he is underneath all of the makeup. Unafraid to show his vulnerabilities, this is what has endeared Lady Camden to drag fans everywhere.
'Lady Like,' 88 minutes, streaming on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Fandango at Home and Apple TV. www.ladylikemovie.com
www.ladycamden.com
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