There was a time, not too long ago, when the trans community was totally invisible when it came to movies. Even with some progress, this is still far from being a perfect world for trans men and women, and anyone else on the gender queer spectrum, they have to fight hard for what should be their basic rights. The struggles will continue and may get tougher in the short term in this present political climate, but at least more and more of their stories are being told. This not just nurtures dialogue about the community in general, but helps all of us to understand and appreciate its sheer diversity even more. Here then are queerguru’s Top Ten Trans & Genderqueer Movies of 2016.
(In alphabetically order)
Dawn : In his 4th short movie the multi-talented British trans-filmmaker Jake Graf once again plays with our expectations in this delightful wee drama that he fills with surprises. When two rather lonely total strangers meet at an isolated bus-stop in the dark hours of early morning and strike up a conversation, they both gently reveal their unhappiness over which they neither have control. As they skirt around their problems, there is a commonality in their sadness which draws them to each other. They share a moment of tenderness and understanding in a way that only strangers can do, and by the time the first bus of the day arrives they have bonded so that there is no need to even verbalize about the pain of the night ….. and the days …. that preceded this chance encounter.
Desire Will Set You Free : We’re not sure if young American filmmaker Yony Leyser based in Berlin is aiming to be a modern day Christopher Isherwood with his first feature that sets out to show a slice of the contemporary edgy queer scene in Berlin, but he obviously used the great man of letters as his inspiration. The low-budgeted movie is by no means a masterpiece, but it does have an energy and a vitality that should be enough to forgive Leyser for some of the movie’s rougher edges, and simply be really appreciated and enjoyed for what it is.
Finding Phong: This documentary is the story of Phong a 20-something-year-old Vietnamese transwoman as she goes about realigning her body to finally becoming the woman she has always rightly felt she was. What makes this story so immensely watchable is the real transformation that happens in front of our very eyes of this sad, lonely person into a confident and immensely happy young woman who found a real sense of purpose and hope for the very first time in her life. She gives you this very distinct feeing that she will be capable, and willing, to overcome any obstacles that may appear in her life from now on.
From This Day Forward: is a new very personal documentary that adds yet another dimension to the whole transgender dialogue. Filmmaker Sharon Shattock’s very compelling movie is about her own father who began transitioning when she was still in grade school. The news absolutely horrified her and her younger sister, and she all but rejected her father from then on and she just couldn’t wait until she was old enough to leave home and go to College.
The Shattock family are now in a place where none of them ever expected to be all those years ago. After each of them struggled to accept the father ….. now known as Trisha ……. and the transition which entailed the stigma of dealing with the rejection and controversy in the local neighborhood, this journey of theirs has reached a stage when it has settled down to be the most gentlest of love stories. Not just between Trisha and her patient and understanding spouse Marcia, but also between Trisha and her now fully accepting children.
Girls Lost : This rather good Swedish movie written and directed by Alexandra-Theresa Keining based on an award-winning novel by Jessica Schiefauer puts a new slant on the whole body-transfer genre with its gendergueer aspect that adds an intriguing dimension to the story. A tad over-long at 106 min, it is nevertheless a compelling and somewhat gritty tale that includes some of the aspects that troubled teens have to deal today, such as sexual consent and even suicide.
Growing Up Coy : Young married couple Kathryn & Jeremy Mathis had a tough call to make when their son Coy just starting kindergarten kept asking them when he could go to the doctors to become a girl. For Kathryn who was brought up a Christian Scientist who abhor doctors in general, taking to Coy to a Psychiatrist to receive a diagnosis of gender dysphoria was a monumental step, but once the family had taken it, they accepted that they now had another daughter.
Eric Juhola‘s compelling documentary on this remarkable refreshingly open and very brave family that took on a seemingly endless stream of legal and social obstruction, ends on a happy note for them all, which they so truly deserve. The film itself is an important contribution to the continuing dialogue that society needs to keep evolving with the transgender community in general, and kids in particular.
Kiki : Directed by a young Swedish visual artist Sara Jordenö who co-wrote the movie with Twiggy Pucci Garcon who is the ‘housemother’ of the House of Pucci and one of the leading lights of the vogueing movement. They both take pains to show that what this tight knit community does much more than just creating a safe zone for LGBT youth, as it provides them with an outlet for their energies and talents and a way for them to express their sexuality. Their numbers include an increasing number of trans men and women, and others who are beginning their transitioning. There are some who simply want to retain a fluidity to their sexuality and reject labels in favor of individualistic ‘realness’.
With jobs worse than scarce because of transphobic attitudes and the cost of gender adjustment extremely expensive, many of the kids take to sex work as the accepted norm. Their conversations regarding dealing with puberty and gender issues without a traditional nuclear family are both enlightening and probably more disturbing to us than it is to them as they generally seem to find the inner strength and the support of their friends to deal with this.
Made In Bangkok: When Argentinian film buff Flavio Florencio first went to Mexico some years ago his friends took him to a ‘cantina’ to watch a cabaret full of transvestite performers which totally fascinated him. He was very curious to know how they all spent their daytime lives off the stage, and he decided that there was probably a good story amongst them just waiting to be told. After visiting these clubs ever weekend for several months, Florencio found Morgana an operatic soprano whose singing totally entranced him, and after hearing her story, he knew that she would be the subject of his first ever documentary film.
Real Boy: Any documentary that makes a contribution to the continuing transgender dialogue is important, but when it is as poignant and compelling as this then it can play a significant role in nurturing more understanding and acceptance both within the community and society at large. Ben’s is a warm, wonderful uplifting story and so full of hope and is about transitioning in a way that anyone could relate too, and therefore it so deserves to find an audience beyond the select crowds of the Film Festival circuit.
Suited: This is the story of Bindle and Keep a small tailoring company in New York who are part of whole new growing breed of clothiers who cater specifically for the transgender community. Whilst transitioning is mainly about having one’s body brought into line with a person’s true identity, one of the side effects is that trans men and women find that traditional gender specific clothes do not suit them and their new lives. That was the case for Rae Tutera when she transitioned from Rachel and approached Daniel Friedman about making him a custom suit. Rae was so very impressed that he asked Daniel to take him on as an apprentice tailor to learn the trade, and he never left.
The Trans List: For his new documentary filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, along with writer and transgender rights activist Janet Mock, has assembled a diverse group of fascinating trans men and women to talk about how their own journeys have resulted in such joy and peace of mind. In her introduction before the interviews Janet Mock noted ‘These stories of triumph do not outweigh those of tragedy facing many trans Americans who struggle with limited access to shelter, healthcare, education, and employment.’
P.S. If you have been keeping count, then you may have realized that we have in fact profiled 11 movies in total, it is because at the end of the day, we just couldn’t omit any of them.
