'Queens of Drama' explores chaotic queer romance in French musical

Alexis Langlois’s debut film ‘Queens of Drama’ is a vibrant, genre-blending journey through queer love, pop obsession, and punk rebellion.

Louiza Aura, left, and Gio Ventura appear in "Queens of Drama." (c) Altered Innocents

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

French filmmaker Alexis Langlois makes a bold entrance into feature cinema with Queens of Drama, a glittering, messy, and defiantly queer musical romance. In this Queens of Drama review, we explore a story that’s as unpredictable and unruly as the emotions it portrays—a volatile love-hate relationship between two young women, Billie Kohler and Mimi Madamour, both hungry for pop stardom. This film bursts with camp, color, and cultural commentary, while blurring timelines, breaking the fourth wall, and diving deep into a fever dream of music and identity.

A love story born of tension

Our Queens of Drama review begins in the chaotic environment of the Starlet Factory in 2005. The film introduces Mimi Madamour, played by Louiza Aura, a charming dreamer with a soft expression and bright curls. Her encounter with Billie Kohler, the moody and charismatic punk rocker portrayed by Gio Ventura, feels electric from the start. They lock eyes over matching band T-shirts, a seemingly serendipitous moment. But instead of sparks flying, a cheeky insult exchange unfolds—complete with both sticking out their tongues in defiance. It’s love at first fight.

Their relationship soon veers into even more chaotic territory. Langlois, in her feature debut, builds this narrative around a core of contradiction: adoration and jealousy, fame and self-doubt, individuality and desire. This makes the Queens of Drama more than a tale of romance; it becomes an exploration of how queerness, art, and ambition tangle into something beautiful and dangerous.

A layered narrative told from the future

The story’s primary timeline is 2005, but Langlois plays with structure, opening the film in the year 2055. There, we meet SteevyShady (Bilal Hassani), an over-the-top video influencer and die-hard fan of Mimi Madamour. It is SteevyShady who recounts the romantic saga of Mimi and Billie. His narration is full of wit, bias, and self-awareness. "This is not about me," he declares, despite the film frequently proving otherwise.

This frame narrative gives Queens of Drama a meta-textual quality, filled with references to pop culture and LGBTQ+ history. Langlois uses this device to explore not only the passionate affair between two musicians but also the ways fans mythologize and reinterpret queer icons. The Queens of Drama movie is both a love letter to and a satire of the cult of personality.

A film alive with style and references

Visually, Langlois throws every color and texture onto the screen. The world of Queens of Drama is awash in neon pinks, glittering blues, and stage-light purples. Scenes shift between dreamy music-video aesthetics and surreal fantasy sequences. Langlois clearly draws inspiration from queer cinema, anime, and underground performance art. It’s a kaleidoscope of visual experimentation.

She also laces the film with cultural references that reward engaged viewers. From homages to feminist theorist Monique Wittig to nods toward the French pop and punk scene of the 1980s and 2000s, the film invites decoding. Fans of Love Lies Bleeding or I Saw the TV Glow will find thematic cousins here, though Langlois’s approach is less refined and more rebellious. In this Queens of Drama, it’s worth noting that Langlois prioritizes style and tone over genre discipline.

Musical chaos and romantic friction

At its heart, Queens of Drama is a musical, but not in the conventional sense. The songs emerge as emotional outbursts, often mid-argument or fantasy. Billie’s punk energy clashes with Mimi’s pop sensibilities, and their musical styles mirror their romantic tension. Some musical numbers feel raw and raucous, others polished and studio-perfect. This dissonance adds to the film’s charm and chaos.

Gio Ventura and Louiza Aura commit fully to their roles. Their performances carry the film’s emotional weight. As Billie, Ventura brings a sneering confidence that masks deep vulnerability. Aura’s Mimi is full of idealism but burns with longing for recognition. Their dynamic, both musically and romantically, is the film’s core.

Flawed but fearless storytelling

Not every element of Queens of Drama lands. The film’s maximalism, while exciting, occasionally feels overwhelming. Some visual gags and narrative tangents disrupt the pacing. And despite its clear passion, the film doesn’t always hit the emotional highs it reaches for. Compared to other genre-savvy queer romances, it lacks the cohesion of Love Lies Bleeding or the devastating nostalgia of I Saw the TV Glow.

But Langlois’s ambition is undeniable. This Queens of Drama review recognizes that the film is less about polish and more about raw, unfiltered expression. It’s a punk attitude applied to filmmaking, where imperfections are embraced as part of the aesthetic. Langlois has created something personal, political, and utterly original.

A celebration of queer identity and art

Ultimately, Queens of Drama is a celebration—of messy love, self-expression, and queer cultural heritage. It doesn't aim for universal appeal. Instead, it carves out a space for those who find joy in the unconventional. The film’s chaotic structure and meta-commentary reflect the turbulent process of self-discovery and artistic creation.

Alexis Langlois has announced herself as a filmmaker willing to take risks. With Queens of Drama, she’s created a musical romance that’s as much about the audience watching it as the characters living it. It’s a film that invites conversation, even disagreement, but never indifference.

For fans of experimental queer cinema, colorful aesthetics, and stories that blur the line between reality and fantasy, this Queens of Drama review confirms that the film is worth your time. It may not follow the rules, but that’s precisely the point. Like its central couple, it’s better when it misbehaves.