Exposed

The film lacks background and cultural context, a surprising choice considering the rich history of the art form. But the interviewees are so compelling that their stories stand on their own.

A documentary that manages to be jaw-droppingly provocative and genuinely endearing — sometimes at alternating points, and by the end kind of all at once.

Allowing its subjects to bare their souls as much as their bodies, Exposed is as frequently moving as it is entertaining.

Exposed is really just a series of intermingling profiles, which is perhaps why its observations eventually begin to feel slightly repetitive.

Like burlesque itself, Exposed is at its best when it shows rather than tells.

The filmmaking style is practically nonexistent: interviews and static shots of the performers onstage. They are thoughtful and often funny, especially Mat Fraser, a British man whose arms were damaged by Thalidomide, and Julia Atlas Muz, the off-stage partner with whom he often performs.

Beyond the forthright identity politics and titillating theatrical misdemeanors, one still comes away wondering about the things that remain concealed.