Queen—A Regal Redemption

In this French/Polish miniseries of four episodes, Queen is a highly unexpected feel-good story of a sought-after Parisian bespoke tailor who, in the evenings, is a celebrated drag queen known as “Loretta”.

Long absent from his wife and daughter’s lives back in the small Polish village of his childhood, Silvestre Bork (Andrzej Seweryn), now living in Paris, is reluctantly preparing for retirement and the pleasure of being himself with his coterie of friends. He fits perfectly with a sophisticated life on the French Riviera. Silvestre’s closest friend, Corentin (Kova Réa), tries to convince him not to stop his evening performances as Loretta but Silvestre wants to live out his senior years with a casual but luxurious lifestyle. 

A letter arrives that raises a moral dilemma for Silvestre.  It is an emergency that calls Silvestre back to his hometown in Poland.  His granddaughter, Iza  (Julia Chetnicka), has tracked him down on the internet and pleads with him to come back to Poland as  the sole solution to her mother’s (=his daughter’s)  medical crisis. And so the drama of redemption and reconciliation begins, with the disarming granddaughter at the center of the mediation and forgiveness.

Queen has a warmth that permeates every aspect of the story, from the love Silvestre has for his work to the affection Corentin has for him.  And the family that did not know of his reason for leaving them finally understands why.  Small but meaningful acts of personal honor and honesty rebalance each of their lives.  

Well-drawn characters carry the series with an easygoing vibe one expects from Masterpiece Theatre but with a deeper analysis of what family means.

A bravura performance from all cast members!

Availability:  Netflix streaming