LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS
***
Directed by Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese.
Starring Shabana Azeez, Bernie Van Teel, Jordan Raskopoulos.
Comedy, Australia, 87 Minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in Cinemas in the UK on 19th June by Peccadillo Pictures.
Australian writer-directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese (real life romantic partners, according to the Melbourne International Film Festival programme notes) have created an animated lo-fi space soap comedy about Princess Saira, a sweet but sappy heroine.
This timid introvert seems to spend most of her time in her room practicing magic tricks, after having been overshadowed by her glamorous two mums who have ignored her since childhood. Saira lives in fear of having to go to the Lesbian Ball, and things get even worse when she’s brusquely dumped by her girlfriend, the glamorous and go-getting Kiki.
Although terrified, Saira overcomes her fear of leaving the house to save Kiki from her kidnappers by providing the ransom of a royal labrys (a double-headed axe). These are the evil but stupid “Straight White Maliens” who have incel-style plans to dominate women (or “get hot chicks” as they charmlessly put it) with their “opinions on Marvel movies”.
The humour in this vibrantly-coloured animation sets the pace for a WIZARD OF OZ style escapade as her rescue mission sees Saira board a “Problematic Ship” with a male computer, like a sexist version of 2001’s HAL. This artificial person, when not mansplaining her, offers patronising and hilariously sexist suggestions that she should abandon her quest and instead go to the nearest nail bar or Pilates class. Ignoring him, she encounters Willow, an Emo songwriter escaping from a grinding existence in a manufactured lesbian girl-pop band. Seeking to find their own way together by joining forces, they disappear together on “an intergalactic space quest to save your ex” as Willow puts it.
Like a lesbian version of Scooby Doo, our heroines pluckily fight their way out of misadventures, including a planet covered in alarming “gloom goo” which threatens to engulf them. Another standout moment is when Saira and Willow encounter Blade, a hip drag performer and arse-kicking club owner (voiced brilliantly by drag performer Kween Kong). This Ru-Paul-alike helps Saira with a pop psychological exercise about overcoming your innermost fears and imposter syndrome and overcoming the “you can’t do it” little voice in her head.
As a result, Saira finally realises her unsympathetic parents were at fault for smothering her and also that Kiki is – although gorgeous and self-confident – is also a “narcissistic asshole” and why Saira is better off without her.
Princess falters mainly when it attempts to bring in sexual politics; why would the sexist ship’s computer know about sapphic modern day classic BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR?
However, it works well by creating a mainly female cast whose lives revolve around each other rather than men, as seen in the 1980s matriarchal and futuristic world of Alan Moore’s 2000AD strip The Ballad of Halo Jones. Saira’s vulnerability and frequent cosplay-style huge eyes brimming with tears can get a little drawn out and she’s given to muttering to herself: “Why is everything so hard? Why did I think a reject like me could do anything?” As a character she needs a little more depth.
Both Saira and Willow – a more likeable character – needs more backstory, as all we know the heroine, apart from her magic skills, are that she’s unlucky in love, gets dumped frequently, has overbearing parents, and needs to film break free from all of the above. Like Halo, Saira is the Everywoman (or Everycartoon) who might not have the universe revolving around her, but still manages to make you root for her in her 2D dilemmas.
Hobbs and Varghese have created a funny, upbeat film, smarter than your usual cartoon, offering a lovable heroine in the self-doubting Saira. She basically proves that self-doubt is a waste of time when you need to realise you don’t need to be in a couple when the Universe is yours for the taking. Like Halo, she needs to stop worrying about what other people think about her and just take off into the unknown.
Nina Romain