British non-binary singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance and visual artist Genesis P-orridge was known for her confrontational work, even bringing terminal cancer into the act. She worked from the 1970s until her premature death five years ago.
The title of the film in question acknowledges the many gender identities Genesis P-Orridge wore during their life/career. “The more detached one is from a role in someone else’s script,” the artist reasoned, “the easier it becomes to create a new one.” Genesis P-Orridge assumed many roles during their relatively brief life, tackling such taboo subjects as sex work and pornography. This subject used various pronouns – “s/he” and “h/er” were just two of them – so for the purposes of this review “they/them” will be used in order to encompass the entire spectrum.
Much like Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful (Gero von Boehm, 2020), this documentary queries the validation of sex in the world of mainstream art. As early as the 1980s, the titular artist was pencilled as “different to Culture Club and Duran Duran.” Provocative, Genesis P-orridge is also described by interview subjects as “alluring” and “seductive.” What is revealed in this doc is a performer who didn’t enjoy unadulterated praise like John Lennon and David Bowie had before them, suggesting “there are men and women who are like me.”
But it’s hard to say with complete certainty that this songwriter was a commoner. Anthems When I Was Young and Possession are replete with dazzling demonstrations of studio pyrotechnics, but their singular styles were hardly the material for Top of The Pops. The singer was bemused by their reputation in the media, suggesting that “hysteria and lies” followed Genesis P-orridge across Britain.
Drawing on an archive that includes photographs, audio and video clips, S/he Is Still Her/e is a colourful feature. Daughters Caresse and Genesse sa that they shared an unconventional childhood, but neither feel they experienced anything untoward. True, they joined their parents onstage, but Caresse and Genesse reflect on this period with laughter.
Their faces furrow when they remember their parent’s trouble with the law. In 1992, Channel Four showed a documentary insinuating Genesis P-orridge’s involvement in sex rituals that involved children. As it happens, the programme had to retract the claims, but it worried the songwriter. “They tried taking everything we had,” the singer sighs, prompting a move to America.
As it is an authorised biography, the documentary quickly pivots from the subject, which may upset more discerning viewers. Where it is strong is that S/He Is Still Her/e – utilises a wealth of clips where the artist tells their truth. Genesis P-orridge remains a hypnotic, storyteller mixing truth and anecdote into an exciting new whole.
Genesis P-orridge’s abstract influence can be heard in Trent Reznor’s DNA, but the person is as kaleidoscopic as the melodies. delivering quip after zinger to tell their story. The artist died in 2020, but kept a commitment to the art until the bitter end. Naturally, the film takes a sadder turn nearer the end as the sickness is broached. Barely able to sit, the performer finds the strength to blow out candles on their birthday, the cancer clearly eating into the body. “If I could just breathe”, the audience is told, “I could get more done”.
Band Psychic TV made accommodations for the illness, but played on. In an archive clip from 2018, the musicians, including Genesis P-orridge, begged concert attendees to put out their cigarettes as a mark of respect. This was met with rapturous applause. The final word is left to the daughters who remember their parent, while also that stating they had much more to do. Death, as it does to so many of us, took a loved one away prematurely.
Bravely, the movie ends on a sombre note. Like all formidable artists, Genesis P-orridge survives through the collection of work they made. This picture stands as a commendable overview of the performer, both as a provocateur and a person. This combination is a surefire recipe for compelling art.
S/He Is Still Her/e is in cinemas from Friday, June 20th, with a few preview screenings before then. On BFI Player and Apple TV on Monday, September 15th.
