‘Queerguru’s Ris Fatah reviews ‘JEANNETTE’ the story of one survivor of the PULSE Gay Club Mass Shooting

Everyone suffers trauma and heartache in their lives, some of course much more than others. In June 2016 49 mostly queer people were shot and killed and another 53 injured in the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando Florida. At the time this was the worst mass murder incident in America since 9/11. Headline news for days on end but what has happened to the survivors years down the road? How we react to deep life trauma shapes the rest of our lives.

Filmed between Orlando and Puerto Rico, Jeannette tells the story of Jeannette Feliciano, a competitive bodybuilder and queer single mother who navigates her post-massacre trauma with determination and love. Jeannette was one of the lucky ones to survive that night, although she did have a gun pointed at her face.

Life wasn’t especially easy for Jeannette before the shootings. She was (and still is) a Puerto Rican lesbian single mother living in a lower income area in downtown Orlando. Cash was tight. Her Jehovah’s Witness mother didn’t understand her sexuality but the two muddled along somewhat. She did, and does, however, have an innate ability to lead and inspire – her charming teenage son Anthony, her partner, her friends and her personal training clients.

Post-massacre it was sink or swim time, and Jeannette has swum – not to say that those who sink in such circumstances choose that option. With a group of fellow Pulse shooting survivors she has built a successful boot camp personal training business. She’s also further developed her competitive body building career.

Director Marris Curran follows Jeannette for a few weeks, a year after the shootings. Jeannette reflects on the past but also has new present trauma as she deals with the effects of the huge 2017 hurricane on her gay sister’s home in Puerto Rico. Jeannette also splits up with her long-term girlfriend, prepares for her latest bodybuilding competition, takes her first trip on to a dancefloor post-Pulse and celebrates her 40th birthday. This generous fly-on-the-wall documentary leaves nothing out. Superhero Jeannette is one moment gently nurturing and mentoring her son, the next minute chopping up a huge fallen tree in her sister’s home, then inspiring her bootcamp fitness clients and then smashing out a workout to maintain her super-shredded competitive bodybuilder physique. It’s an interesting, inspiring portrait of a life well-lived, in spite of all the struggles thrown her way. Jeannette is, of course, only human, and we also see her in times of doubt and reflection. This is all part of the healing process. Jeannette mentions the love and strength she derives from those around her, including, surprisingly, her mother, who moved in with her after Pulse. One of her fellow queer personal trainers Yvens ‘Eazzy’ Carrenard also features throughout the documentary. He’s also very charming although the viewer is left wanting to know more about him.

Story-telling about lower profile queer people in different communities is always welcome and Curran fully delivers here. It’s an important multi-issue study on surviving major trauma and also a reminder to consider queer people living in poorer communities. What is their safely net?

Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah