Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.
Directed by David France
new york city
suicide
drag queen
investigation
biography
murder
lgbt
hate crime
activist
trans woman
cold case
transgender rights
gay history
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.6 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Marsha P. Johnson
Self (archive footage)
Victoria Cruz
Self
Sylvia Rivera
Self (archive footage)
Taylor Mead
Self (archive footage)
Pat Bumgardner
Self (archive footage)
Vito Russo
Self (archive footage)
Crew
David France
Director
David France
Writer
Mark Blane
Writer
Bryce Dessner
Original Music Composer
Tom Bergmann
Director of Photography
Mark Blane
Associate Producer
James O'Donnell
Production Design
Mark Blane
Second Unit Director
Popular Reviews
55 reviews
Stv
9.0★ · 11/30/25
Excellent documentaire retraçant la transidentité et ses difficultés à travers la vie de Marsha P Johnson. J’avais regardé ce documentaire une première fois en 2020 sans vraiment trop comprendre et je le trouve à présent d’autant plus puissant.
(Dommage qu’un homme blanc l’ait volé à une femme noire trans)
Excellent documentaire retraçant la transidentité et ses difficultés à travers la vie de Marsha P Johnson. J’avais regardé ce documentaire une première fois en 2020 sans vraiment trop comprendre et je le trouve à présent d’autant plus puissant.
(Dommage qu’un homme blanc l’ait volé à une femme noire trans)
stella
i was very excited to find a documentary on a very important piece of queer history. i enjoyed said documentary. HOWEVER. it has come to my attention that dave france is a sinister individual and i regret not reading the reviews first
i was very excited to find a documentary on a very important piece of queer history. i enjoyed said documentary. HOWEVER. it has come to my attention that dave france is a sinister individual and i regret not reading the reviews first
ashlyn
0.5★ · 06/03/25
watched this, then opened up the reviews to see the concept of this film was stolen from tourmaline, a black trans woman and filmmaker(www.instagram.com/p/BZ7byULA9KA/?taken-by=reinaxgossett)
watched this, then opened up the reviews to see the concept of this film was stolen from tourmaline, a black trans woman and filmmaker(www.instagram.com/p/BZ7byULA9KA/?taken-by=reinaxgossett)
Donni L
We have trans women to thank for where we are today
We have trans women to thank for where we are today
Mag
10.0★ · 06/09/24
O movimento LGBT+ foi criado por mulheres trans pretas e prostitutas que deram as vidas para termos o que temos hoje, mesmo que ainda há violência e ignorância, podemos viver num mundo minimamente melhor do que as mães do orgulho e ainda assim tem vermes na comunidade que insistem em serem transfobicos e racistas, reproduzindo um discurso burro e que só mostra como não sabem a história da própria comunidade. Como dizia Marsha não tem porque ter orgulho da comunidade se as pessoas trans continuam sendo vítimas de violência.> The privileged people, they got their gay marriage, and now they're off... They're gone. And they've left the transgender community behind.Edit: só depois de assistir descubro que esse documentário foi roubado de uma mulher trans negra, o curta pode ser encontrado aqui. Na dúvida, pirateie.
O movimento LGBT+ foi criado por mulheres trans pretas e prostitutas que deram as vidas para termos o que temos hoje, mesmo que ainda há violência e ignorância, podemos viver num mundo minimamente melhor do que as mães do orgulho e ainda assim tem vermes na comunidade que insistem em serem transfobicos e racistas, reproduzindo um discurso burro e que só mostra como não sabem a história da própria comunidade. Como dizia Marsha não tem porque ter orgulho da comunidade se as pessoas trans continuam sendo vítimas de violência.> The privileged people, they got their gay marriage, and now they're off... They're gone. And they've left the transgender community behind.Edit: só depois de assistir descubro que esse documentário foi roubado de uma mulher trans negra, o curta pode ser encontrado aqui. Na dúvida, pirateie.