I am Divine

This documentary opens with the 1988 premiere of John Waters's and Glenn Milstead's greatest success, Hairspray. It also turned out to be Milstead's final film role. I Am Divine explores the creation of Divine and chronicles the duality of who Divine/-Milstead (1945-88) was. Milstead's mother, an ordinary mom from Baltimore, wrote an excellent and loving book about her son after his sudden death. Here, she describes a sweet young boy, more interested in dolls and decorating than sports and sweat. He hid the bullying from her, but he caught the attention of young neighbor Waters. Waters's gang of misfits began making movies for no one but themselves. Throughout I Am Divine, they attest to Milstead's humor, quick wit, fierceness, and universal kindness despite the outrageous raunch of the emerging Divine. The dichotomy became a pop sensation: male/female, glam/slouch, strength/gentility, all gaining more attention on the midnight movie circuit through Waters's films. In addition to the incisive interviews, including those in which Milstead talks about his various stages of life, are the many early film clips from Waters's vault. Like the character herself, I Am Divine is an oddity from which viewers will be unable to look away. Verdict A must for fans, a maybe for the faint of heart.-Gerald A. Notaro, emeritus, Univ. of South Florida Lib., St. Petersburg (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.