Jim Queen: a queer Western hits Brussels before everyone else

On Tuesday June 17, UGC De Brouckère hosts a special avant‑première of Jim Queen, in the presence of the directors. Blending Western aesthetics with a very contemporary queer sensibility, the film revisits the figure of the cowboy through gender‑bending, desire and chosen family. KET will be there – and on our Instagram account, we are giving away 3×2 tickets for the 19:00 screening.

A Western that swaps macho codes for queer visions

Jim Queen takes the familiar codes of the Western – big skies, landscapes, guns, horses, duels – and uses them as a playground rather than a prison. Instead of yet another story about lone men solving everything with violence, the film centres characters who bend gender, refuse traditional roles and explore other ways of inhabiting the mythic West.

Costumes, bodies and looks become part of the narrative language: eyeliner under a cowboy hat, painted nails around a gun, long coats that move more like dresses than uniforms. The camera lingers not only on action, but on touch, vulnerability and silent glances that say more than any monologue. It is a Western where the codes are still there, but the power they serve has changed sides.

Desire, danger and chosen family

At the heart of Jim Queen is a set of relationships that feel deeply queer, even when the script does not spell everything out. Attraction and loyalty move across gender lines; alliances are built as much on shared wounds as on shared enemies. The film invites the audience to read between the lines: who wants whom, who fears what, who is allowed to live honestly and who has to hide.

Violence is still present – it is a Western, after all – but it is not glorified. Instead, it is shown as the consequence of rigid systems, toxic masculinities and moral hypocrisy. Against that backdrop, scenes of tenderness, care and joy between characters feel all the more precious. For queer viewers, especially those who grew up watching straight Westerns with no reflection of themselves, this shift can be both unsettling and exhilarating.

Why this avant‑première matters

Seeing Jim Queen early, and with the directors present, is about more than just bragging rights. It is a chance to witness how a genre that has long been used to sell one narrow idea of “manhood” is being reclaimed and twisted into something new. It also fits into a broader movement of queer cinema that refuses to be confined to “urban” or “contemporary” stories, choosing instead to revisit and subvert cultural myths from the inside.

For Brussels audiences, this avant‑première adds another layer: watching a very cinematic, very stylised film in a landmark cinema like UGC De Brouckère, surrounded by a mixed crowd of film lovers, queers, allies and curious passers‑by, turns it into a shared moment rather than just another screening.

Win your tickets with KET

To celebrate this avant‑première, KET is giving away 3×2 tickets for the 19:00 screening of Jim Queen. The giveaway is running on our Instagram account, where you will find all the details on how to enter and try your luck.

Whether you come as a Western nerd, a queer cinema fan or just someone curious to see how far the genre can be pushed, this is a chance to experience something different – and to do it before the official release.

KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers based in Brussels. Get in touch to share your thoughts or tell us about your activities. You can also promote your events on our website or support our work with a donation. Contact us at Info@ket.brussels.