Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is a straightforward retelling of the life of its titular musical trans trailblazer. Although credit is due to how it starts in the middle, when Jackie Shane took her last bow after performing in Toronto in 1971. Where did Ms. Shane go after that last performance at the Saphire near Yonge and Richmond St.? And what was the place she called home before she landed in Toronto and decided it was her true home? This documentary answers most of that, restarting with her roots in Nashville as a drummer for musicians lost in time. She joins the circus and decides to leave that life after landing in Cornwall, Ontario, a town that welcomed her.

I’m not sure if the aspect I’ll write about separates this film from other music biopic documentaries like this one. I will say that it’s nice to see this not just be about her but also about the cities she called home. The documentary indirectly delineates the difference between the gangsters in Montreal in opposition to the ones in Toronto. The difference is that the Montreal gangsters kidnapped her and gave her an offer that she refused. That bravery reinforces her as a compelling subject worthy of this documentary. The Toronto ones barely make a mark on the film, letting her perform at the Saphire as she wanted. The Jackie Shane Story doesn’t specify what makes Toronto home for her but then again neither can I.

Depending on one’s perception, Jackie Shane either left little of herself to the world or a lot. If one thinks the former, Jackie Shane only really left the world one live album and one performance for television. That archive video of her shows a confident vocalist despite showing her discomfort pertaining to her return to Nashville. Others may think the latter. There are, thus, scenes in Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story showing the relatives who didn’t know of her until her death. Despite this lack of knowledge, they do have the possessions she left that they exhibit like museum pieces. Mostly representing the family are two adult nieces who make for equally compelling subjects, showing their love for her.

The Jackie Shane Story tells the tale of a Black trans woman who did things on her own terms. Through recordings of phone calls during the last year of her life, she reveals that others try to make her compromise herself. She turned down many opportunities, preferring to stay in Toronto despite it being an imperfect place to be Black. As I wrote above, she took her last bow in 1971, and the film reveals the lives she lived after. Outside of archive photos and rarer audio and video, the film brings her to life through rotoscope animation. And the interviews with trans women like Makayla Walker and Sandra Caldwell (who also play her in those scenes) provides erudite insight. 

After its Hot Docs and festival run, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story has a short run at the Fox Theatre starting on August 16th.