Transamerica (2005)

It was quite a very sad film, I felt so sorry for Bree that she wasn't accepted by her family in the first place and having realised she had a troubled son. I understand that Toby was angry at his dad for not telling him the truth about why she got him out of jail but he had no right to punch her. I would absolutely shake him to hell in order for him to wake up because she was his dad after all!This movie really does a good intake of being a transsexual and how you deal with it. The character Bree in my opinion really did a good example of herself on showing off and being brave who she truly is! She really doesn't stand any messing! I honestly wish herself and that singing cowboy Calvin were together. I mean, they literally locked eyes when they first met and even when they had said goodbye, they looked inseparable together! Now why no happily there?It's a good movie I have to admit regardless!

11121585 I had to watch this film for a university class and was very surprised how much I liked it. The film did a fantastic job of showing the main character Bree's development throughout the film as she becomes ready to finally complete her surgery. At the beginning of the film in her therapy session, Bree's psychologist tells her that gender dysphoria is a serious mental disorder that Bree questions, by saying it is a disorder that she can cure with plastic surgery. Bree relates the contradiction that exists between gender dysphoria and a cure. A serious mental disorder, as the psychologist deemed Bree's condition to be, is something that is very rarely able to be cured; it is inherent. The person living with a mental disorder will most likely live with it for the entirety of their life. However, Bree challenges the stigma of gender dysphoria with stating that a surgical repair can cure her of her distress. I think this film did an excellent job of portraying just how different gender dysphoria is compared to a mental disorder. By placing gender dysphoria under the mental disorder stigma, society maintains the bi-gendered system; stating that if one is born female, they must remain and identify as a female and vice versa with those born male. This film does an excellent job of depicting the struggles and challenges a trans gendered person may go through on their journey to "cure" themselves, and gives the main character the fairytale ending everyone hopes for. Bree is finally able to be transformed into the "woman" she so desperately wants to be, and the audience is able to observe her as truly happy with her transformation and seemingly "cured" of the distress she exhibited at the beginning of the film once again slamming the door on gender dysphoria being a mental disorder.

The movie TransAmerican portrayed the life of a transgendered individual in today's society in an accurate, relatable way. I found that one powerful example of this was when Bree's psychologist stated that gender dysphoria is a very serious mental disorder and Bree's response was "don't you find it odd that plastic surgery can cure a mental disorder?". This statement alone brought up the fact that transgendered people are not mentally ill and are fully aware of their mind and body and are fully capable of making the important decisions that take place in order to complete their transition. Another powerful aspect was when the little girl asks Bree if she is a boy or a girl. This brings up the issue of gender roles in our society and in order to "fit in" and not be judged you must fall into a strict gender category. This aspect of our society has put a great deal of strain upon transgendered people and their families. In the film they emphasized strained family relationships when addressing Bree's relationship with her parents and with Toby. Throughout the film you were able to see that Bree cared for Toby but was unsure how to interact with him in certain situations due to the fear of how he would react if he found out the truth about her. After the dinner party, when Bree apologized for the "fake" women and Toby responded by saying that he thought they were nice, Bree began to relax and open up around Toby. I found that the ending of TransAmerica was a realistic depiction of some of the struggles that many transgendered people face in connecting with their families. I believe this movie has the ability to raise awareness of the issues transgendered people are faced with, in hopes of creating a more accepting environment.

Duncan Tucker has directed one of the best self-discovery movies of all. "Transamerica" casts Felicity Huffman as Bree, a trans-gender woman about to have a sex-change operation, when she learns that she has a son named Toby (Kevin Zegers). So, she gets the boy out of jail while masquerading as a church lady, and the two of them take a cross-country tour. In the process, Bree learns not only about what kind of boy Toby is, but also about herself.I can't really do the movie justice by simply talking about it. It's a REALLY good movie. Funny but serious at the same time -- without taking itself too seriously -- the movie hits all the right notes. The contrast between Bree's vibrant world in SoCal and Toby's dirty NY apartment couldn't be more stark. The film has got too many good qualities to list here, so I would advise you to just go ahead and see it! Also starring Graham Greene, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young (Paulie in "Rocky"), Carrie Preston and Elizabeth Peña.PS: When "Transamerica", "Brokeback Mountain" and "Capote" (all LGBT-themed) won big at the Golden Globes in 2006, Jay Leno called it "God's way of punishing Pat Robertson".