Synopsis
Dubbed New York's "Queen of the Night," proto–club kid Susanne Bartsch has been throwing unforgettable parties for over 30 years and is still going strong.
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Cast
- Susanne BartschSelf
- RuPaulSelf
- Amanda LeporeSelf
Recommendations
- 83
IndieWire
In Anthony and Alex’s capable hands, the Susanne Bartsch legacy endures just as brightly as it began. - 75
Movie Nation
The film parks her at the center of a universe that was and is all about gender tolerance and inclusion, even if one doubts her claims of a “post ‘velvet rope'” party ethos. - 75
RogerEbert.com
Rich in personal archival footage and first-hand accounts. It’s as if every other clip in the movie is a peek into a bygone era. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The film makes it evident that Bartsch has been a seminal figure in a subculture that, despite her continuing efforts, has come to feel sadly diminished. - 70
Los Angeles Times
What Susanne Bartsch: On Top makes clear is that the art of being seen, as facilitated by Bartsch, can carry unexpectedly poignant depth. - 70
Film Journal International
The approach, while admittedly daring, leaves the game viewer, although certainly dazzled by much of the footage, rather wanting more than Bartsch verbalizing the arc of her life and ambitions, yes, but in a distorted layered and overlapping soundtrack that, intentionally, is not always decipherable.