Andrushka

I just finished watching this movie, I had high expectations and it surpassed them. In case you haven't heard about Transamerica, Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewive's Lynette) is a pre-operative transsexual woman who finds out that she has a son from her past life. Her therapist says she has to deal with this new issue before having the operation. So, she goes out to New York to meet her rent-boy son, played by Kevin Zegers from Air Bud. They proceed to cross the country and have many adventures, all the while the dramatic irony of the kid not knowing the woman is his father is palatable to the viewer. It's an Erziehungsroman (education story) in that the the characters grow from learning about each other and, in a deeper sense, it seeks to educate the audience. It's not about civil rights. Transsexuals actually fit well in existing laws, unlike homosexuals. It's about social rights, which is much more important, because where society goes, laws will follow. Above all, it humanizes a situation completely alien to most of us. When I watch such films though, I'm always left wondering how they'll be viewed in fifty years. When I see a film like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner nowadays, it's hard to comprehend the attitudes of its intended audience. That's not to say that interracial marriages are completely accepted in our society, but personally I can't understand why anyone ever had a problem with them. And I realize that movies and other cultural emissions were a major part of adjusting attitudes. I mean, I am a white boy of terrorist descent (i.e. KKK konections in the family tree) but as a reflection of my society, I'm a very different person than my Great Grandfather; I even have much different attitudes than my parents. I think I've gotten over the virulent forms of nationalism, racism, sexism, and religious intolerance. But I must admit, despite my best postmodern intentions, I still have hang ups regarding sexuality and sexual identity. Because of that, I seek out movies that deal with those themes, like Latter Days, Stonewall, Dependencia Sexual, La Mala Educacion, Greg Araki films, and Transamerica. More often than not, such films are worthless beyond their social commentary (though I tried to give examples that contradict this statement). So much effort is put into the message that the literary quality is ignored. There's more art in documentaries than many of these camp films. I'm sure plenty of equally earnest civil rights flicks were made that are pointless to watch these days. Then there are the few that transcend the social issue du jour and connect across time and culture. Only time will tell if Transamerica is such a film, but I hope that when people fifty years from now watch it, they'll wonder why anyone would have a problem with an individual's right to choose their own biological and gendered identity. On a side note, those who want to know more about transsexuals and their families might enjoy reading Trans, a book of poems by one of my favorite professors about her daughter becoming her son.

Posted by Scott on 27 December 2005 at 12/27/2005 11:20:00 PM | Permalink