A trans tale like few others -- Jeanie Finlay's SEAHORSE: THE DAD WHO GAVE BIRTH

Since the movie under review here is a documentary, rather than science fiction, readers can pretty quickly figure out that SEAHORSE: THE DAD WHO GAVE BIRTH must indeed involve a woman who transgenders to a man and then, even so, gives birth to a baby. Although the film most reminded me of a 1968 play by Colin Spencer, Spitting Image, that my ex-wife and I saw in New York City back in 1969, it is indeed a piece of non-fiction that tracks the decision by this then-30-year-old male named Freddy McConnell, to first be inseminated via the sperm of an unknown donor and then carry to term and give birth to her/his own child.

As produced, directed and with some footage shot by Jeanie Finlay (shown at left), the documentary moves pleasantly along, skirting much depth or profundity, and even seeming to prefer not to get close to anything dark or negative.

Although we get some of Freddy's family history, and meet his mom and step-dad ("Mom's an extrovert who's got this family of introverts," he tells us with a smile), it would appear, from what we see and learn here, that McConnell has so far had a pretty easy time of transgendering.

He does want to keep news of his pregnancy from leaking out to the town in which he and his family live. Oh, yes: And the young man -- one C J -- with whom Freddy was to share and raise this child suddenly backs out of the arrangement for reasons we never learn. Other than all that, though, things are going swimmingly.

It takes about half the film before Freddy finally gets pregnant. From that point, he is besieged by morning (or, as he calls it, "all-day") sickness, the usual bizarre hormonal changes brought on by pregnancy, a little self-doubt countered by his mom's encouragement (that's she, below, right), and finally the reappearance of C J, whom now, we are told, is going to be the new family's faithful friend.

It's not that we necessarily want to learn more negatives here. God knows, most trans folk have enough of those in their lives already. But the nagging question, "Who are these people?" crops up often enough in this relatively short movie that its insistence on bouncing along the surface becomes more and more annoying. Post his child's birth (in water), all seems well once again for Freddy, his new family and his old.

All has not gone quite as Mr. McConnell migh have wished, however. The movie does not go into any of this, but if you would like to learn more, you can click here and peruse an article from Britain's newspaper, The Guardian, at which Mr. McConnell worked as a journalist.

Visually speaking, Ms Finlay gives us a nice look at a duck gathering material for a nest plus a few too many shots of birds flying (freedom, you know) and that titular seahorse, the species in which it is the male who does the birthing.

From 1091 and running just 86 minutes, Seashore: The Dad Who Gave Birth will be available -- to rent or buy -- via digital or VOD this coming Tuesday, June 16.

A gift for gay pride month: Daniel Karslake & Nancy Kennedy's superlative documentary, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO

Tackling the little-seen subject (among several here) of a "good" and highly religious couple who end up placing their religion and their idea of "god" above that of the welfare of their child, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO -- anyone whose religious life included heavy study of the Bible's new testament will immediately know where those words come from (for those who don't, this is explained near the finale) -- offers up an extremely cogent and moving study of family relations when that family includes children who are on the GLBT spectrum.

As directed and co-written by Daniel Karslake (shown at right) and co-written and edited by Nancy Kennedy (below), the documentary covers four very different families -- different not only in their choice of religion but in how they respond to the needs of their children.

While they do the best they can, the results are very different, and the choice of these four families by the filmmakers proves to be both inspired and inspiring -- and in one case almost unbearably moving.

In two cases, the child in question is merely gay, in the other two he/she is transgendered. That TrustMovies uses the word "merely"  above makes further plain to him how far the GLBT movement has come during his lifetime, as well as making clear the still enormous difference (and continuing struggle) between being accepted as gay, lesbian or bisexual and being so as a transgendered human. The move does not beat this idea to death, but it does make certain that the viewer is aware and appreciative of it.

The film begins by introducing us to the Robertsons, Linda and Rob, first as young marrieds (above) who are deeply involved in their Evangelical Christian church, and later as a family with four fine children, one of whom, Ryan, lets them know during his early teen years, that he is gay.

We soon meet the Porchers (above) and the McBrides (below), both of whose offspring eventually becomes transgendered. The stories told here are as much about the effects and reactions of this "otherness" on the parents as on the kids themselves. Which is as it should be, since it is the parents who exert the most control over their children and can force the situation into something they may regret for life.

Since most viewers will not be familiar with the gay and trans children shown here, or for that matter with their parents (I was not, at least), the filmmakers wisely lay out the stories in a smart narrative form. What we learn about these families -- in one case, as with the Baez-Febos family, shown below, and the major event that their child becomes a part of -- consistently surprises us and often pulls us up short. We get a lot more than the merely "expected" here. The purpose of this documentary may be to change the viewpoint of as many people as possible, but the manner in which it does this is exemplary: it never raises its voice but still consistently draws us in.

The filmmakers clearly knew how to gain the trust of their subjects, and they in no way betray that trust. They also know how to film professionally; their movie is a pleasure to view. Consequently, we're immersed into all these lives (that's the Porchers' son Elliot, below),

but especially into the lives of that couple we first met, the Robertsons (shown below as their older selves). Their story, of a family so torn between fundamentalist religion and love for their son that they make decisions -- like conversion therapy -- that will impact everything, forever.

We've already seen a number of films, both docs and narratives, dealing with the impact of this conversion therapy on the kids who went through it. It's a rare one, however, that gives us the parental viewpoint -- and does it so thoroughly and so well. While what the Robertsons have to answer for may be a terrible burden, what they are doing with this burden proves a wondrous thing.

This month will see a ton of GLBT offerings released for the yearly Gay Pride time. If any one of these is better -- more important, inclusive and hugely moving -- than For They Know Not What They Do, I shall be surprised. (Among the advocates -- for the open and kindly type of religion offered by certain figures such as Jesus of Nazareth -- interviewed in the film are, above, Bishop Gene Robinson and, below, Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis.)

From First Run Features and running a succinct 92 minutes, the documentary hits virtual theaters this Friday, June 12. Click here and scroll down to visit the various theaters nationwide and to learn how you can view the film. 

NOTE: This film wil appear on DVD, iTunes 

and Amazon VOD September 15, 2020

Transgender time again in Rebekah Fortune's excellent (for awhile) example, JUST CHARLIE

What's to become of a young boy who's very good at soccer and who secretly and with all his/her heart wants to be a girl. You'll find out when you view the new British indie film, JUST CHARLIE, written by Peter Machen and directed by Rebekah Fortune, which, for quite awhile and quite well, explores the difficulties -- family/school/ friends/sports-related -- of someone going through this kind of heavy-duty trauma in which the recipient of one sex knows with every breath that it ought to have been the other.

Ms Fortune (shown at left) and Mr. Machen have done their research but know enough to bury all that within a screenplay that very specifically and cleverly creates a believable world around its main character, the titular Charlie, played with a lovely generosity and sweetness that never curdles by Harry Gilby, shown below.

So believable, in fact, are young Mr. Gilby and all the characters who surround him that the movie, for most of its length, is an easy one to appreciate and admire.

Gilby is pretty enough of face but also a whiz on the soccer field, so much so that he has been chosen to audition for training in the big league. But this gender identity thing grows ever more important and imminent. (That's he in his male attire above, with dad -- played by Scot Williams -- and his soon-to-be female version, below.)

Once the cat is out of the bag for his family, sides are taken, which occurs in school as well. Friends are lost , not just for Charlie but for his family members, too, and all this is handled with surprising truthfulness and precision. So much so, in fact, that we feel the pain, not just of Charlie herself, but that of her family and even some of the friends who are no longer so friendly.

This is all the the movie's credit, and it makes the film seem more real that many of its ilk in which coincidence and the need for a happy ending trump all else.  But then maybe a quarter hour or so from its ending, Just Charlie suddenly changes course, as an angry family member returns too easily to the fold, a florid melodramatic beating takes place (that ought to have put our heroine into a coma) followed by a (sort of) surprise bit of feel-good nonsense.

This is all too bad, for had the film been willing to continue on its small-steps course, it might have been a game changer of sorts. So if you do decide to view Just Charlie, make certain you also see A Fantastic Woman, if only for some ballast.

From Wolfe Video and running 99 minutes, the movie hit the street on DVD and streaming earlier this week -- for purchase and/or rental.

Feminism and transgender, Albanian style, in Laura Bispuri's quiet marvel, SWORN VIRGIN

That great film actress Alba Rohrwacher, whom TrustMovies has long referred to as Italy's answer to Meryl Streep, gives yet another of her versatile, bone-deep performances in the new Italian/Albanian movie SWORN VIRGIN. Adapted (from the novel by Elvira Dones) and directed by Laura Bispuri, whose first full-length film this is, the movie gives Ms Rohrwacher a particularly unusual role, that of Mark, aka Hana, a very masculine-looking young woman (or is this a very feminine-looking young man?) -- whom we first meet as s/he is being taught to herd goats atop a somewhat wild mountain range in Albania.

From the very next scene of the film, however, it is clear that something is quite wrong here. Our hero/heroine is unhappy, confused, and soon s/he is leaving this place, below, only to end up in a surprise visit to what would seem to be the home of a relative in Italy. Ms Bispuri, shown at left, alternates between scenes that take place in the present and past, so that slowly we come to understand what has happened to this young woman. This has to do with a particularly Albanian tradition of how to handle women who want the kind of freedom automatically handed to their male counterparts.

We've recently seen a fine French film -- Oscar nominee, Mustang -- that showed us something on this order involving Turkey and its fundamentalist ideas regarding women. And if you've seen certain films that take place in Albania and deal with subjects such as the Albanian idea of revenge --say, The Forgiveness of Blood -- you will quickly understand how, uh... backward these ideas can seem.

To go into much detail here would spoil the growing surprise, as well as the understanding we slowly come to experience of what is going on here -- not to mention ruining some of the fine work by Bispuri and Rohrwacher that helps us come to terms with it all. I don't think I've ever seen Ms Rohrwacher give such a self-effacing performance as here.

Mark/Hana is a character who is not allowed to see or be him/herself. So little wonder s/he cannot let any another person see inside, either. There are times that the actress is so quiet and "enclosed" that you'll want to crane your neck around the screen to try to get closer to her face in order to know her emotions and thoughts a little better.

So real and so committed to that reality is the actress that she holds us at every step along this strange journey. This involves her "sister," played beautifully by Flonja Kodheli; her helpful brother-in-law (Luan Jaha, above, left); and her niece (a lovely performance from newcomer Emily Ferratello, shown at right, three photos below).

We also meet a lifeguard (Lars Eidinger, above and below) at the pool in which Mark's niece practices her synchronized swimming -- which leads to one of the most interesting hand-jobs you're likely to have witnessed. Likewise our hero/heroine's first penetration scene: so fraught and unusual yet strangely liberating as any the movies have given us.

By the end of Sworn Virgin, most of our questions will have been answered, at least enough to understand who Mark/Hana really is and what s/he might hope to get from this strange and possibly welcoming new world that may now be called home.

The finale is as quiet, rich and full of wonder as all else in this fine first film. We're certain to hear from Ms Bispuri again soon, and of course we'll be getting lots more from Ms Rohrwacher -- who, in just 12 years has already accumulated some 52 acting credits. Few actresses work as often, as well, or as deeply as this one.

From Strand Releasing and running just 90 minutes, Sworn Virgin opens in New York City at the Village East Cinema this Friday, April 22. The following Friday, April 29, it will play Los Angeles at the new Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts.

Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Download debut: Tom Hooper/Lucinda Coxon's THE DANISH GIRL

One of this past year's juiciest piece of "Oscar" bait, THE DANISH GIRL proved a relatively successful arthouse hit with audiences, even if many critics found the film wanting. TrustMovies is only catching up with the movie now, upon its video and streaming debut, but he can readily understand both how it turned heads and left something less than a fresh taste in certain mouths. Speaking of taste, the movie is every bit as tasteful as we would expect from Tom Hooper, the director who gave us Oscar winner, The King's Speech, and the filmed version of Les Miz.

Mr. Hooper (shown at right) and his screenwriter, Lucinda Coxon (shown below, who based her writing on the book by David Ebershoff), do their best work early on in telling this very "inspired-by" tale of one of the world's first transgendered women. That would be Einar Wegener -- who became Lili Elbe -- aided by his supportive and hugely long-suffering wife, Gerda Wegener. Both spouses are artists (he of landscapes, she of portraits), and both are talented and (eventually, in her case) successful. Exactly how much of this "story" is actually true I

couldn't begin to vouch for, but it is told in the manner of so many of Hollywood's highly tasteful and lovely-to-look-at historical bio-pics. So it's an easy watch. For awhile. The movie captures our attention via the lead performance of that very fine actor Eddie Redmayne, shown below, who plays Einar/Lili and is quite adept is showing us how this young husband is initially captivated by women and their clothing, and then, once his wife has persuaded him to pose in those clothes so that she can finish a painting, is quickly drawn first into cross-dressing and eventually into the all-out desire and need to become a woman.

Mr Redmayne and Alicia Vikander (below), who plays his wife, are both superb at keeping us alert, watchful and entertained, as well as making us believe that they are indeed soul-mates. The details of the couple's life together and their careers go some distance in making the first half of the film as compelling as it is.

Once Einar begins to get Lili-fied, however, either Ms Coxon did not have enough specifics to draw from or Mr Hooper could not bring these to much life because the movie soon begins to deal mostly in the obvious and the cliched.

As Lili engages in flirtation with an admirer (Ben Whishaw) and is reunited with an old friend and schoolmate (Matthias Schoenaerts, below) who soon bonds with Gerda, the filmmakers seem reduced to too much vamping -- dragging the film out to to fill the two-hour running time.

Yes, we understand how difficult it was back in that even-more-patriarchal-day for a man to relinquish his maleness, but instead of offering up some thoughtful ideas and intelligent dialog, the film instead is content with mostly standard stuff.

Still, this is quite a beautiful movie to look at; the cast is competent and often much more, and the subject is as timely as Caitlyn Jenner (and certainly more interesting than anything I've yet seen or read about her).  

From Focus Features and running 120 minutes, The Danish Girl has been available for digital download since February 16 and will make its DVD and Blu-ray (the transfer to the latter is excellent) this coming Tuesday, March 1 -- for purchase or rental.

Simo Halinen's OPEN UP TO ME: the "transgender" film hits its high mark (so far)

Today's western world mostly concerns celebrity, schlock and marketing, right? How else to justify the media time spent on the execrable Bruce-Jenner-becomes-Caitlyn story, worth maybe two minutes of time now stretched to weeks  -- with no end in sight. Boy, those Kardashians sure know how to market, if little else, bringing to mind the old saw about understanding the price of everything and the value of nothing.

And don't tell me the story is so vital and important to the transgender cause. If Jenner were not a semi-celebrity being marketed by a Kardashian, few would give a shit. Instead, we have folk fawning on his/her every breath, as though it mattered more than the breath of any others of us. Laverne Cox -- to mention the other currently "famous" sex change -- has brought a lot of talent and pizzazz to Netflix's Orange/Black series. But Jenner? Nothing more than the need to cling as long as possible to some fractured fame.

The above angry screed is all by way of introducing you to a worthwhile new movie: the best I've so far seen involving transgender (better, even, than Boy Meets Girl, a film I liked very much). Written and directed by Simo Halinen (shown two photos above), OPEN UP TO ME (Kerron sinulle kaiken is the original Finnish language title) tracks the tale of Maarit (the very fine Leea Klemola, just above), a relatively recent man-to-woman transition trying against rather heavy odds to make something of her new life.

To that end, Maarit has had to leave behind a wife and daughter (the former has seen to it that he/she cannot visit the latter) and must labor in the vineyards of the cleaning crews who polish the fixtures in corporate and or professional building bathrooms. One day, thanks to a clever coincidence involving wardrobe and dress-up, a sad-but-hunky psychiatrist's client (Peter Franzén, below) with marital trouble mistakes Maarit for a shrink, and plot begins to bloom.

Soon we (and Maarit) are involved with the hot-looking Sami, his wife (Ria Kataja, below) and daughter -- even as Maarit's life is expanding to include not only an incipient affair with Sami but the opportunity to finally

reconnect with her/his daughter (a sweet, smart performance from new-comer Emmi Nivala, below) and at last involve the girl in his/her new life.

Simultaneously, we meet one of Sami's students whom he coaches in soccer (Alex Anton, below), a young man who proves both bright and quite interested in learning from experience -- which would include as many varied sexual experiences as he can muster.

While the relationship between Maarit and Sami is the major force at work here, the movie's greatest strength comes from its deeper look into the characters on view, together with how something as radical and different as a sex change can make adjustment more than a little difficult for those confined to what can only be called the "normal" camp.

As much as the audience might want love to bloom and prosper, the filmmaker is too wise and realistic to make things simple for his characters. Halinen may use coincidence as an occasional plot device, but when it comes to behavior, he takes his lessons from life rather than from easy fiction.

By the film's conclusion, a number of situations have changed and characters grown and/or come to terms with their inability to grow. Either way, they and we have learned something and in the process quite enjoyed the experience. (The movie's last line is a delight: sharp, moving and very funny.) From Corinth Films and running a swift 95 minutes, Open Up to Me becomes available on DVD this Tuesday, July 7.