Reeling: The Floating Man

This intimate documentary unpacks Michael V. Smith's journey as a self-described sissy with a body he found humiliating as he developed his art to become a radical drag performer and genderqueer artist. A unique blend of DIY documentary, road trip, performance art, and videopoem, this amusing self-portrait sources Smith's provocative art practice to examine a lifetime of untrue stories about his body. One featured project includes Smith on a road trip on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, searching for famed Canadian singer Joni Mitchell, while dressed as Peanut the Clown. In another, Smith dresses in a black bodysuit in an attempt to eliminate all gender signals, asking us: What gender are we in and out of various clothes? THE FLOATING MAN is a timely and positive film about gender fluidity and the power of art to transform a life.