“Now when you picture yourself, do you like what you conceive? Honestly, if you could be anyone, but instead you’re you?” – Heaven Above Rowen, 2026

To know one’s true self is a privilege, a journey, and at times, an impossibly difficult task. In a world riddled with different beliefs, morals, and endless ways to explore self expression, it’s hard to sift through everything to get to that truest self. Once you get there, are you happy with what you find?

“Heaven Above Rowen” explores the complicated ways religion, queerness, and self discovery overlap in life. The film follows Rowen, a queer cult leader facing a mental break while also exploring identity before the predicted rapture.

Directed by Alice Voena, this marks the 25 year-old trans artist’s debut feature, which was made with very little money but a lot of heart (and lipstick). The character of Rowen is based on an ex-Mormon, cult-leader persona that Voena developed for the New York City underground drag scene.

The film has served as a cathartic experience for Voena, who realized much of her identity was wrapped up in the Rowen persona she had created. As she had grown into her transness, Rowen has grown too. The growth is visible in the film, as if Voena is letting the audience into a piece of her soul; a chapter in her life story.

Trapped in a drug-induced, experimental day-dream, audiences will find themselves unable to look away from Voena’s film because of it’s singular visual imagery. It’s mesmerizing, intoxicating and strikingly unique. With stunning images crafted across several digital formats, the film also incorporates mixed media elements, including printed images, lipstick and liner.

Not only does the film’s aesthetic serve as visual intrigue, but also as an entry point for the audience into the most vulnerable themes of the film. Through this glamorous, glittery, experimental exterior, the viewer gets a better look at Rowen’s identity journey, and what being your true self really means.

Voena’s suburban roots shine through as the religious influence on this film is palpable. It explores the relationship between religion and queerness in a inimitable way, sitting in the middle of a venn diagram of the two topics. Voena’s relationship with religion is explored throughly without being “preachy” in and of itself.

The film also reunites Broadway legends Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell. This is their first collaboration since “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, which is a celebrated queer and theatrical classic. Mitchell features in the film as Promise, while Trask’s unforgettable electronic score dances through every shot. Trask was also a producer on the film.

Overall, Voena’s feature is a smashing success. It’s an eventual cult classic and a required watch for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ media. The film is not only rife with metaphorical and introspective moments, but the hypnotic visual journey is equally as exciting as the subtext.

The film recently played at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. Follow the film on social media @heavenaboverowen