As of November 13, this date marks the start of Transgender Awareness Week. To celebrate, The Heights Herald has four recommended movies that showcase trans excellence for your viewing pleasure!
The recent political climate has allowed for the normalization of transphobia in our society and also the limiting rights for people who identify under this group. Part of these laws include restrictions on media with transgender representation. The underrepresentation of transgender stories on screen only furthers the lack of understanding that many transgender individuals face from their cisgender counterparts. Due to the lack of representation in media, this becomes extra important to highlight these stories when they are presented in film.
“Trans representation in film and media is very important because lots of queer and trans kids do not have older LGBTQAI+ role models to look up to,” Columbia Heights High School (CHHS) GSA president Aesa Rude (10) said. “There is a lot of stigma around being queer, [so] it is important for all LGBTQIA+ people to know they are not alone and that they have a large community of people who love and cherish them, even if they don’t know it.”
From 2020, Netflix’s documentary “Disclosure” masterfully explores the long and tumultuous history of transgender representation in Hollywood. Directed and produced by non-binary filmmaker Sam Feder, including using famous trans voices like Laverne Cox and Susan Stryker, it delves into many generations of film and television, as well as the subsequent representation (or stereotypes) that came with them. This film has allowed trans people to tell their own stories and correct the mistakes of the past in hopes of a brighter future in which trans stories can be told on screen without the presence of stereotypes and problematic beliefs.
The recent A24 psychological horror film “I Saw The TV Glow”, written and directed by non-binary filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, allows viewers a unique perspective into the metaphorical life of a transgender individual. The film follows the main character, Owen, as a classmate introduces him to a mysterious other-worldly late-night television show “The Pink Opaque”. After the strange disappearance of this classmate and the mysteries that follow, Owen’s slow, persistent struggle and dissatisfaction with daily life grows ominously and abstractly. Schoenbrun flawlessly creates an unexplainable unease that settles in viewers as the film progresses, matching the tone of Owen’s experiences. The film functions as an allegory, referencing the typical unfulfilling and isolating experience had by many trans people before realizing their identity. Altogether, this creates an incomparable commentary on the importance of self-discovery and acceptance.
“The metaphor revolves around being trans and how it’s never too late to transition. The director… makes it incredibly clear within the context [of the movie],” Rose Kembitskey (11) said.
“The Danish Girl” is a 2015 biographical romance about the life of Lili Elbe, one of the first trans women to undergo gender-affirming surgery. It is based on the historical novel of the same name by David Ebershoff and follows her life in 1930 as she discovers her gender while posing as a woman for a painting created by her wife, Gerda Wengener. Over time, she experiments more deeply before pursuing surgery, which was very experimental and dangerous for the time. The writing, performances and direction create a deeply thought-provoking story, despite also admittedly garnering negative attention for cis male actor Eddie Redmayne playing the role of Elbe.
Last year’s “Mutt”, written and produced by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, follows the daily life of a young, half-Latino trans man starting his transition, starring trans actor Lio Mehiel. The film examines the average experience of coming out and how it can affect familial relationships, thus making way for the important and under-represented story of trans people of color to be told on screen. Additionally, it accurately reflects the truly grueling and difficult task that coming out can be.
Overall, seeing stories representing you can be a huge deal for trans people. Not only can it make you feel seen and valid, but it can make valuable changes in perspective for those who struggled to understand LGBTQ+ experiences beforehand. It’s especially validating when these stories are written and portrayed by trans people. These films allow for stories of all kinds to finally have a space in the film industry, marking a new era of unprecedented representation for trans people and their stories.
