Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.
The Divine: Trouble in Mind
The drag performer Divine left behind a marvelous legacy, one full of campy humor, music, great wigs, and genderfluid performances. Before his untimely death in 1988, he’d begun to show off his true talent as a character actor, regardless of the gender of the role.
Case in point: the overlooked crime noir Trouble in Mind. The film follows Hawk (Kris Kristofferson), a former cop trying to reassemble his life after serving a stint in prison for murder. He immediately crosses paths with Coop and his wife Georgia (Keith Carradine and Lori Singer), and takes a more-than-platonic liking to the young mother. In a struggle to survive, both Coop and Hawk get entangled with local crime boss Hilly Blue (Divine), which leads the group into a dangerous underworld that threatens Coop & Hawk’s freedom, as well as their lives.
In the role of the villainous Hilly Blue, Divine shines, creating a cheeky, erudite mobster somewhat akin to Marlon Brando’s work in The Godfather or Sydney Greenstreet’s in Casablanca. His light, even friendly demeanor masks a quiet menace and ruthless lust for power; when Hilly says “From the very moment I want something, I have to have it. Nothing ever satisfies me,” we know he’s serious. Divine plays the moment both as a quiet observation and as an ominous warning. He may seem effete, but he won’t hesitate to use violence. It helps, of course, that writer/director Alan Rudolph gives him the movie’s best lines, loaded with snark and acid.
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Trouble in Mind is a highly stylized film; maybe that’s why audiences didn’t quite know what to make of it back in 1985. The late, great Roger Ebert named it one of the Best Films of the Year, and praised Divine for his performance. When viewed today, it plays like a visionary work of art, and a reminder that the sudden death of Divine is our loss. We could have spent years watching him play character parts that showcased his unique charisma. Thank goodness, then, that Trouble in Mind showcases his abilities. Come for Divine, stay for the weird, wonderful noir.
Streams on Tubi & Amazon.
indulged
Total Divine fan here, yet never ever heard of this film. Thanks for bringing it up…
Have always regarded him as the original drag superstar…definitely wish I’d been born early enough to see his impact on pop culture in real time, as it occurred.
Doug
Divine out of drag was in another film called “Out of the Dark.” It was a small part, and it was the last film he made.
Kevan1
Devine died the night before he was to appear on Married With Children. He was t I play character Peggy Bundy’s mother. RIP.
Den
I was lucky to meet him when he was living in San Francisco in the 70’s. I was a nurseryman, and he was into plants and a somewhat regular customer. He was not the character he portrayed of course, but was soft spoken, intelligent and a pleasure to deal with. Nothing of the diva about him.
He would likely have had a great career as a character actor ahead of him if not for his untimely death.
wooly101
R.I.P Divine, he was one of a kind.
Preppy1000
Saw this movie when it came out. I loved it but didn’t quite get it. Divine was GREAT…and chilling.
barryaksarben
It was filmed in Seattle and the old art museum in Volunteer park was his mansion . I saw its opening night and dont remember being too impressed with the movie but worth a rewatch
Kangol2
I’ve never seen this but I’m a huge fan of Divine’s, so I’ll try to catch it. I still Divine should have been nominated for major awards for some of his performances, including as Francine Fishpaw in Polyester, one of the wildest social critiques of its era, and for the dual roles in the original Hairspray, another truly funny, and politically aware film. Divine was one of a kind, and tragically left the world too early.
gregg2010
I had the pleasure of meeting Glenn when he was in Seattle filming “Trouble in Mind.” He was the nicest, most down to earth person. He was hoping his “straight” acting career would take off after this role, and it might have had it not been for his untimely death.