Exposed: Beyond Burlesque review

Fighting against body taboos

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More intimate areas than a NSFW Lars Von Trier trailer feature in this docu-celebration of the burlesque scene, but director Beth B isn’t aiming to shock.

A New York underground veteran, B shows how burlesque unites outsiders in a lewd and proud carnival of physical “imperfection”. Disabled people, drag queens and free spirits all line up to lay bare the joys of subverting so-called normality.

B’s mix of talking heads and reportage is a bit bland for the material, but the extravagant showpieces hoist up the slack. Warning: contains a stripper in lobster drag.

Kevin Harley
Freelance writer

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at GamesRadar+. 

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