Resident Alien

I have always lived my life in the profession of being." - Quentin Crisp

This hilarious film chronicles the adventures of cult figure Quentin Crisp, a flamboyant and eccentric Brit, in his madcap dash across the margins of downtown Manhattan in the pursuit of fame during the last days of bohemian New York City. A modern day Oscar Wilde, Quentin Crisp is the unbelievably witty and charming star of this intelligent and unconventional film.

Crisp, wearing a dandified outfit and eye shadow, traipses through downtown Manhattan, assembling a doting fan club of artists and eccentrics, including Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn, elderly sex prodigy Felicity Mason, rock-star Sting, playwright Robert Patrick, and actor John Hurt (who played Crisp in the autobiographical The Naked Civil Servant). From intimate dinner parties to stage performances, Crisp and his entourage always make a point of disturbing the boundary between fantasy and reality.

Acclaimed director Jonathan Nossiter complements Crisp’s disdain for the mundane and orthodox with an energetic and wildly original blend of traditional documentary technique and a mélange of tricks culled from art house cinema. With Crisp now deceased, RESIDENT ALIEN stands as a living testimony to one man’s singular gift to the world – himself.