Plot

A Brazilian Theater group that through talent, irony and humor confronted the Brazilian violent dictatorship in the 1970's revolutionizing the gay movement worldwide and changing theater and dance language to an entire generation.

The Dzi Croquettes - A Brazilian theater group that through talent, irony and humor confronted the Brazilian government and its violent dictatorship. They were banned and censored by the military regime and yet revolutionized the gay movement worldwide changing Theater and Dance language to an entire generation. Their history embraces Brazilian pop culture of the 1970's and 1980's, the violent years of dictatorship in Brazil, the sexual revolution, the beginning of the AIDS era and, above all, the enormous legacy that would remain unforgettable to every single person that had the opportunity to see their work. They were loved and admired by luminaries such as Mick Jagger, Jeanne Moreau, Omar Sharif, Maurice Béjart, Josephine Baker and Liza Minnelli, who became a personal friend and played a major role in bringing them to Paris and subsequently to fame. The director's father (Américo Issa) worked with the group from 1970 to 1978, giving Tatiana the magical opportunity of growing up backstage, with these iconic figures. Her eccentric and creative childhood follows Tatiana as she rediscovers the unique creation of the Dzi Croquettes.—Anonymous

Performing troupes come and go but social justice with sequins never truly goes out of style. Dzi Croquettes tells the tale of the rise and fall of Brazil's theater group that revolutionized queer performance art in the context of the political, social and cultural climate of Brazil in the 1970s. This colorful documentary uncovers the livelihood of Dzi Croquettes, a Brazilian drag troupe loosely based on San Francisco's The Cockettes. In order to assert the merits of individualism, nonconformity and the arts, the fully sequined, all-male cabaret Dzi Croquettes formed in the early 1970s in Brazil as a response to the military dictatorship's violence and censorship. The group of thirteen stage performers embodied masculinity and femininity in ways that had never before been seen; they were not female impersonators yet refused to call themselves men, and this sexual ambiguity quickly earned the adoration of men and women, gay and straight. With tantalizing archival footage, directors Tatiana Issa and Raphael Alvarez lead viewers through the glamorous years of Dzi Croquettes - including the group's rise to fame in Paris thanks to Liza Minelli - and how drugs and incessant bickering led to its demise. This vibrant tribute is a celebration of the fabulous troupe that captivated audiences and revolutionized gender expression. - ALEX CHOUSA—FRAMELINE 34