We’re finally hitting a stride in the world of trans cinema, and the film community is taking note! Here are my top seven trans-centric feature films that are a must-see. Keep your eyes peeled for these titles if you haven’t already caught them on the film festival circuit.
My Prairie Home
Written and Directed by Chelsea McMullen
My Prairie Home is a meditative, poetic, listless, and intimate journey of the inner landscape of talented transgender singer/songwriter Rae Spoon as they traverse the expansive landscapes of the Canadian prairie. Rae Spoon uses the gender-neutral pronouns they/them. Spoon was born and raised in Canada. The landscapes of the Canadian prairie reminded me of the Midwest in the U.S.—expansive land, conservatism, and rural cultural norms. There was one part of the documentary where Rae Spoon was concerned for themself when they were traveling in the Midwest in the U.S. They were stared and glared out for looking androgynous. Spoon was not that far away, in physical distance from where Brandon Teena was murdered in Nebraska, while riding the greyhound across the vast Midwestern U.S. landscape.
Spoon travelled all over Canada performing in diners, bars, and a variety of under-lit venues. Spoon was drawn to the kinds of places and landscapes where they grew up. They said that they were always drawn back. My Prairie Home revealed itself and Spoon shared themself at the pace of nature. It was a slow, meditative unfolding. This documentary is sparsely beautiful. It’s beautiful with its poetry, Spoon’s vocals that mirror the majesty of the snow capped mountains and glaciers. The wind, ice, and snow I hear in their lyrics and voice. The stories that Spoon weaves are beautiful and at times melancholic. The inner and outer landscapes of Spoon’s inner world are revealed while they are traveling from one part of Canada to another to perform their music. I loved learning about Rae Spoon and getting to know this singer/songwriter; their tortured evangelical upbringing, a mentally ill Father who was a tyrant, the healing balm of Spoon’s grandmother, Spoon’s first love, their queer/trans identity, their connection to their siblings, to music, to their career, to travel, and to making a life for themself as a professional musician.
Drunktown’s Finest
Brava to Writer/Director Sydney Freeland for her debut feature film, Drunktown’s Finest. Drunktown’s Finestis one of my favorite films as well as trans films that I’ve seen in 2014. I had the honor of hearing Freeland give a Q&A in person after the Frameline38 screening this past June.
Drunktown’s Finest is only one of two contemporary documentaries that I’ve seen that focus on Two-Spirit/trans identities and themes.
Two-Spirits is a documentary, directed by Lydia Nibley that came out in 2009. (
http://twospirits.org/)
Two-Spiritsinterweaves a tragic story of a Mother’s loss of her son with a revealing look at some Native American beliefs and values of integrated genders that honor Two-Spirit identities.
52 Tuesdays
Screenplay by Matthew Cormack and Directed by Sophie Hyde
52 Tuesdays is a Sundance award winning, new Australian narrative feature that was experimental in its approach to filmmaking. The film was only filmed on Tuesdays for an entire year. The actors received their scripts weekly rather than receiving the entire script during the pre-production process. The result is a fresh, nuanced, charged, and emotional story that evolves chronologically with the actors.
52 Tuesdays is a story about Billie, a sixteen-year-old who is very close with her Mother, who comes out as a trans man and begins his transition from female to male (FTM). During that time, Billie moves in with her Father and agrees to visit with James (her birth parent), every Tuesday. Tuesday is their consistent time together for the duration of James’ first year coming out as an FTM. As James transitions and becomes less emotionally available, Billie joins the company of two older schoolmates and explores her identity and sexuality in secret. She pushes against the boundaries that her parents have set in place for her as a teenager. Themes of independence, love, acceptance, family, power, and desire are explored in this emotionally dynamic film. 52 Tuesdays explores the questions; what happens when someone you are extremely close with and love, who happens to be your Mother, decides to transition from female to male? What is the effect and impact on James’ teenage child, Billie?
52 Tuesdays is the first trans film that I’ve seen that delves so richly into the complex emotional landscape and depths of the perspective of the child of a trans parent who is just coming out as trans.
Something Must Break
Written by Ester Martin Bergsmark and Eli Leven, Directed by: Ester Martin Bergsmark
Something Must Break, is a gritty and dark romantic drama about the complexities of two young people who fall in love in Stockholm, Sweden during a Summer. Sebastian (Ellie) is a genderqueer individual and Andreas is straight. They meet at a chance encounter when Sebastian tries to pick up a man in the bathroom. Sebastian/Ellie is tormented with their identity and consciously as well as unconsciously is trying to find a way to break through and be the woman who they are authentically meant to be. It seems like they wanted to break out of their skin and become Ellie with the support of Andreas. Sebastian/Ellie engages in a lot of self-destructive behaviors and actions in their quest to find and be their true self. For example rough and anonymous sex with strangers that at times is non-consensually abusive as well as theft, and vandalism. Sebastian/Ellie doesn’t seem to be aware at all about cause and effect, (Karma) or take into account how their actions impact other people. At times sad, at moments beautiful or harrowing, what is undeniable is the connection and love between Andreas and Sebastian/Ellie. The acting is excellent, the cinematography is amazing, and the film is a dark gem.
Kate Bornstein Is A Queer & Pleasant Danger
Directed, Produced, and Edited by Sam Feder
Kate Bornstein Is A Queer & Pleasant Danger is an intimate portrait of activist, writer, and gender outlaw icon, “Aunty” Kate Bornstein. Bornstein identifies as a Jewish, non-binary transgender dyke, sadomasochist, and reluctant-polyamorist. She is an inspiration and non-binary trans icon to so many people in the queer and trans community.
Kate Bornstein’s gender and sexuality work, writing, and activism paved the way for generations of queer/trans youth and adults to find their way on their individual queer and/or trans paths. She is encouraging to and inspired by the queer/trans youth whom she teaches, lectures, and meets while she tours the U.S. giving lectures, book signings, book readings, and performance art tours at universities, college campuses, sex toy shops, and performance venues. One of the MC’s of an event where Bornstein was about to perform introduced her as “our Queer Grandma that we wish we had growing up.”
The documentary is a non-linear portrait of Kate Bornstein that interweaves some of her most important relationships with close friends, her partner, and her contributions to her community and Twitter “twibe.” She is a force with her wit, intellect, humor, and performance art of gender and sexuality. She is a teacher that you want to listen to who is adorned with tattoos, piercings, has a thirst for knowledge, and the wisdom of the complexities of the lived reality of being a queer/trans elder.
Boy Meets Girl
Written and Directed by Eric Schaeffer
Boy Meets Girl is a surprisingly sweet (like Southern Iced tea), nuanced, sex-positive, and groundbreaking contemporary romantic comedy about four young people in their early twenties. The film explores themes of gender and sexuality and is about finding the courage to be one’s true self in the midst of adversity and to go after one’s dreams. The lead protagonist, Michelle Hendley does a wonderful job in the lead role as Ricky. Her acting is nuanced, authentic, and moving. What is even more powerful is that Hendley herself is a trans woman acting in the role of a trans woman. It’s wonderful that Director Eric Schaeffer intentionally sought out a trans woman to cast in the role of Ricky. Boy Meets Girl would be a different film, in my opinion without the wonderful collaboration and acting of Michelle Hendley. I can’t say enough about how important it is for trans actors to be cast in trans roles.
Boy Meets Girl is a contemporary, romantic comedy set in a rural small town in Kentucky. The characters are complex, multi-dimensional, and resonant. Ricky is a strong and empowered character that is not afraid to speak up for herself and is openly transgender in a small town. She is a young, talented designer, and fashionista. The pace of the movie flows well and all of the storylines of Ricky, Ricky’s best friend Robby, Francesca, a debutante who meets Ricky at the coffee shop where she works, and Francesca’s fiancé, David who is serving as a marine in Afghanistan, are interwoven together seamlessly and surprisingly in this entertaining and touching movie.
Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story
Directed by: Mark Herzog and Sandrine Orabona
Lady Valor is a feature length documentary about Kristin Beck, a transgender woman who had a lengthy and prestigious military career while living as a man named Christopher Beck. Kristin Beck served in the Navy SEALS (team 1 and team 6); the elite special forces in the military for over 20 years. Kristin also worked in the United States Special Warfare Development group. After retiring from the Navy SEALS in 2011, Kristin worked in the Pentagon as well as high-level work for the government. It was only until a year and a half after Kristin Beck retired in 2013 that she came out as her true self; a transgender woman. She began living full-time as her most authentic self. Kristin Beck was met with mixed surprise, hostility, support, neutrality, as well as many more emotional reactions from the public, her colleagues, friends, community, and family when she came out as a transgender woman on Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN.
In the documentary, Kristin’s trans process and her well of feelings are present and potent. Her two sons won’t speak with her throughout the documentary. Half of her nuclear family of origin refused to comment or be a part of the documentary about her life. Her Father, Brother, and youngest Sister are all supportive, loving, and accepting of Kristin (on and off screen). It appears that Kristin receives the most support from her younger Sister whom she seems to be closest with. Kristin’s Mom and two older Sisters refused to be a part of the documentary.
Kristin mentioned how the support that she received was 50/50 when she came out as transgender. Half of the people who Kristin knew before she came out were and are supportive of her even if they do not understand her gender identity and transition process. One aspect that Kristin mentioned that arose several times in the documentary is the bigotry and lack of acceptance of her former military friends and colleagues; particularly the Navy SEALS. She was surprised how many colleagues and friends were unsupportive of her and wrote bigoted comments on Facebook threads and on various social media sites.
The documentary, Lady Valor interweaves archival footage of Kristin’s career as a Navy SEAL, archival family footage of her ex-wife and two young sons, contemporary interviews and footage with some of her supportive family members, friends, and her reflections during 2013 of her gender dysphoria, military career, past life living as Christopher, and courage to come out as trans. Her unhappiness and willingness to accept near suicidal military missions shows the depth of her sadness and despair living her life on the edge and as a man before integrating her whole self and becoming the woman who she was meant to be. At moments the documentary is difficult to watch and to sit with. With her long and established military career, transitioning to be a woman is Kristin Beck’s most difficult mission in her life.
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