Alok

The glamour is part of the work. When people ask Alok Vaid-Menon why they dress as they do, they answer “To live.” Why do other people not? Why do they feel that they have to wait for special occasions? Why don’t they enjoy expressing who they are all the time, celebrating the thrill of being alive?

Alexandra Hedison’s film, a very personal tribute to her friend, dazzles throughout. Even when speaking directly to camera, Alok wear eyeshadow that provides little bursts of vivid colour every time they blink. They. After seven centuries of use it’s finally gaining mass acceptance as a non-gendered third person singular pronoun, though it remains controversial – and yet, Alok says, by far the most controversial pronoun they use is we. A bigger deal than crossing traditional Western gender boundaries is blurring the lines between singular and plural: experiencing one’s own being as part of an extended whole. This, Alok argues, is a radical act, and the beginning of the process of learning to resolve conflicts with love rather than reacting to pain by causing more of it.

Internationally acclaimed poet, author, comedian and public speaker Alok lives their truth, a dangerous thing to do in today’s world and yet, they feel certain, a necessary thing. Their aim is to reach out, to keep making connections with amazing people, and it seems to be a successful quest, despite the hostility they also encounter. Some of those people speak here. They are cultural changemakers focused on finding new paths in everything from entertainment to international relations. They share Alok’s profound belief that humanity can overcome all its problems through cooperation and mutual support. It’s a philosophy which, indeed, extends beyond the species to include the wider ecosystem.

Engaging with it successfully presents unique challenges for each individual, and Alok is at pains to acknowledge that they still have a lot of work to do at a personal level. It’s an ongoing process. To achieve it, we also need to change the way we use and relate to language, change the lenses through which we perceive the world. Hedison’s lens cannot show us everything. The film requires viewers to be as open as possible, to really listen and reflect. Mockery is a commonplace response to such invitations, a means of avoiding effort and defending the status quo. This film has been garnering praise despite that, sufficiently intriguing viewers that more than usual are willing to reach past their initial uncertainty, to challenge themselves. Perhaps it will have the same effect on you.