WE THREE QUEENS **** Canada 2018 Dir: Chris Agoston. 9 mins
Written by Marni Van Dyk, this is a witty, often funny slice of dark humoured festive fun. The acapella group of the title perform their rendition of “Jingle Bells” while a bout of Yuletide cooking cuts to the three singers gagged and bound in Christmas lights in a basement, where they are fed cookies by their captor (and uber-fan) Shelley (Rachel Wilson). Shelley, who has her own Christmas vest business, is desperate to make the carolling trio a quartet and has kidnapped them so that she can put forward her “pitch”. While imprisoned, the three “queens” – Beard (Erin Margurite Carter), Charlotte (Soma Chhaya) and Janet (Emma Hunter) reveal their individual quirks, backgrounds and hang-ups and exchange some wonderfully acidic barbs : “That’s Scottish for ‘whorebag’!” before everyone participates in a funny / unsettling rendition of “Silent Night”. With a finely tuned performance from Wilson as the deceptively sweet, naïve abductor and three dynamic turns from the queens themselves, this is a real treat.
Review by Steven West