-Written by Kyle Bain.
Jackie Shane was a musical phenomenon in the 1960’s. As a unique presence in the world of music, a black trans woman, she saw her fair share of prejudice, but she also found her fair share of success. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story covers the life and the career of the titular Jackie Shane. From her musical career, to her estranged family, to her mysterious disappearance in the early 1970’s, this documentary tells all.
To see the level of respect that Jackie garnered in a time when her community wasn’t accepted is truly inspiring–and I think that’s ultimately the point of Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, to inspire. It’s successful in this venture–but this team had the opportunity to do something splendid with the way in which they framed their film, and I’m torn about whether or not they are successful in this regard.
The opening minutes of Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story present viewers with a film that could have and should have been something of a mystery. That’s how this film should have been developed, with the mystery of Jackie’s disappearance woven into the fabric of this documentary. While this narrative is never abandoned, a good portion of the film fails to touch on it. Just mentioning this astounding mystery at the start of the film is enough to keep most viewers engaged throughout–to keep them guessing until the closing moments of the film, but I feel as if Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story missed an opportunity to be a straightforward mystery. That’s what I was hoping for after the first mention of Jackie’s disappearance, and I suppose that I set expectations that maybe weren’t fair–but I had them nonetheless.
Typically in a documentary like this, viewers see and hear all about how the character(s) in question have been stunted in their careers or lives as a result of some sort of prejudice. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story touches on this type of narrative for sure, but it doesn’t harp on it. What it does is focus on so many of Jackie’s positive attributes, how she was accepted by so many in a time when transsexuals greatly struggled in the mainstream, and tells a story of hope, respect, and love. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story flips the script, refusing to complain for an hour and a half, but rather focuses more on the positive.
I’m not saying that everything is always rainbows and sunshine, that we don’t all experience some sort of hardship or trouble throughout our lives–but if we, as a population–could subscribe to the idea of remaining positive and looking for the good in others the way that Writer-Directors Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee did throughout the course of Any Other Way: The Jackie Lee Story, the world just might be a better place.
Written & Directed by Michael Mabbott & Lucah Rosenberg-Lee.
Starring James Baley, Bobby Dean Blackburn, Rob Bowman, Sandra Caldwell, Jimmy Church, etc.
8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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