Strike a Pose: Docu’s about the Rise to Celebrity (Helped by Madonna) and the Bitter Aftermath of Decline

April 13, 2021 by

Snot 25 years later, Strike a Pose is a poignant documentary discloses the truth about life during and after Madonna’s acclaimed tour, when the lights faded.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF
MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE, FILM MOVEMENT
WILL RE-RELEASE THE DOC VIA VIRTUAL CINEMA
ON MAY 21, 2021
Strike a Pose - Official trailer
In 1990, seven young male dancers – 6 gay, 1 straight – joined Madonna on her  controversial tour, The Blond Ambition World Tour in support of her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer.
Both on stage through 57 lavish shows and in the iconic film Madonna: Truth or Dare, the seven talented dancers–Luis Camacho, Oliver Crumes, Salim Gauwloos, Jose Gutierez, Kevin Stea and Carlton Wilborn–showed the world how to express yourself.
25 years following Blond Ambition, STRIKE A POSE, from directors Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, reveals the truth about life during and after the tour, when the seven men were ambassadors to the world on behalf of the LGBTQ community during the height of the AIDS epidemic. This acclaimed documentary portrait  is a dramatic tale about overcoming shame and finding the courage to be who you are.
Nominated for a Teddy for Best Documentary Film at the Berlin International Film Festival, STRIKE A POSE, being re-released by Film Movement in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of Madonna: Truth or Dare, also captured the Jury Prize for Best LGBTQ Film at the Key West Film Festival and was a Top 20 Audience Favorite at Hot Docs.
The docu presents a loving portrait of these men who were world-famous for a bright moment, and then what happens after the limelight goes away.
It offers an intimate look at the meteoric rise to fame and the eventual plummet that followed.
This shrewdly assembled film is particularly resonant today, as we live in a world where fame is ephemeral and life after celebrity is gone can get unbearably painful and lonely.
Directed by: Ester Gould, Reijer Zwaan
Produced by: Rosan Boersma, Sander Verdonk, Denis Wigman, Reijer ZwaanCo-Produced by: Ellen De Waele
Director of Photography: Reinout Steenhuizen
Running time: 83 minutes
Filed Under: FEATURED REVIEW, REVIEWS