Benjamin Smoke

Noted documentary filmmaker Jem Cohen (along with Peter Sillen) directs this look at Benjamin, a Southern, gay, HIV positive, drug-addicted drag queen who led the blues-punk band Smoke. Born Robert Dickerson in 1960, Benjamin played punk in Atlanta’s grungy Cabbagetown section before fronting the queer-core band Opal Foxx Quartet. Thereafter, he began experimenting with such decidedly unpunk instruments as banjos and cellos and formed Smoke. As Cabbagetown lost its edgy spirit during the 1990s -- thanks to the yuppie-friendly condo boom -- so did Benjamin lose his fight against AIDS. He died of the disease early in 1999.

Movie Genres: Foreign, Society

Movie Released: 17 Jun, 2000

Video Length: 1 hr 12 min

Total Views: 1,165 Times

Website Rating: 0.00/5

IMDB Rating: 3.30/5 (140 votes)