'The Stroll' Finds a Compelling Story Through a First-Hand Retelling
A love letter to the trans community, The Stroll represents a complicated history. The documentary, through intimate first-person accounts, retells the story of New York’s Meatpacking District with a deft complexity, acknowledging both the friendship and tragedy that blossomed due to the area. Told by Kristen Lovell, a member of the Stroll herself, the film represents a reclamation of dignity for these women, even as the world they lived in tried to strip them of it. Through captivating interviews and pacing, the film retells these women’s stories with a great sense of respect and honesty.
The Stroll retells the story of the life of trans women in the Meatpacking District in New York City, with many forced to resort to prostitution due to discrimination. These women faced significant challenges in their lives, whether it was through police brutality, abusive customers, or the backlash from the community itself. As New York continued to evolve under mayors Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg, the community became more volatile and harsh for members of the Stroll. Now, a gentrified area home to the High Line, the women within the Stroll retell the story of their existence there, representing the history of a community that has fought hard not to be erased. By refusing to ignore the complicated history of the Stroll, the film proudly acknowledges the complexity of life on the Stroll and the ways in which its members have fought for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the United States.
The documentary is told through the lens of Kristen Lovell, a former member of the Stroll community. Lovell’s own experience on the Stroll allows for a sense of understanding with her interviewees, knowing they are talking to someone who understands. Her style of interviewing is potent, allowing for a sense of vulnerability within their testimonies. Conversations vary from witty jokes to tragic revelations on a dime–in a way that feels engaging and natural. As these women retell their stories, their lives form a canvas of the camaraderie and tragedy that existed on the Stroll. From Marsha P. Johnson to the many other trans women of color that fought for the right to survive, their stories live on through this retelling. This ability to bring together these incredibly personal stories gives the film a sense of intimacy not often found in documentaries.
The way this story unfolds makes these first-person accounts impactful, complete with informative historical contexts, raw footage, and even animated vignettes. Each woman’s story is fascinating in their own right, but all are used deftly by Lovell and Drucker to create an overall narrative rather than strings of singular ones. The creators do well to paint a wider image through testimonies of those outside the Stroll, including meat packers, members of the local community, and other activists. These testimonies allow for a sense of honesty and complexity, representing various ways the Stroll was viewed from the outside. This willingness to display the full history makes the film all the more compelling, as the film finds a way to weave together the individual experience of many people.
Similarly, many trans women found a sense of community they had never experienced on the Stroll, but their experiences were certainly not something they ever wished to return to. In a particularly gut-wrenching scene, one former member bursts into tears when returning to the Stroll, remarking, “I hated this place.” The story of Amanda Milan’s brutal murder in front of the Port Authority also hangs over the entire film. Though these people often found empowerment in their work and ability to exist as their authentic selves, their history was still full of tragedy. The documentary refuses to settle within easy absolutes, making the stories told complex and often contradictory.
As The Stroll comes to a close, there are conflicting senses of both loss and hope: the loss of the thousands of trans women who lived on the Stroll and the hope for generations of trans people to come. The documentary never attempts to downplay the tragedy of what occurred. These people are not merely distant activists; they have lived the stories they tell. Their friends are the ones who died, and they spent the nights on these streets. Their stories are personal and gut-wrenching, knowing the pain and suffering that happened just a few decades ago. The fact that these women are still fighting today is where the hopeful aspect comes in. The world is certainly still not in the right place, but the progress that took place because of these women cannot be ignored. The society we live in today is a more accepting place, and the world owes these women a debt because of it.
The Stroll finds a way to retell the story of the LGBTQ+ prostitutes in the Meatpacking District with a powerful sense of honesty. The documentary retells the story of the pain and suffering yet also the sense of the community that was formed through it. With incredibly personal and intimate interviews, the film creates a tapestry of these women’s lives that is as compelling as it is tragic. The contradictory nature of the Stroll within their lives becomes apparent throughout the film, as people try to grapple with its community and loss of it. Though certainly a great hardship, the film portrays the women’s ability to survive as an achievement, highlighting how their fighting has led to millions being able to live their authentic life today.
