My Life in Pink (1997)

**spoiler alert**This movie very accurately portrayed what its like growing up with a feminine gender expression, while having been coercively assigned male at birth. Having yet to experience years of sexual harassment and bullying, Ludovic's simple straightforward insistence that she is a girl is heartfelt and unassuming. She sees no danger with dressing in the clothes her sister gets to wear, pretending to be a bride, or telling her new friends she'll be a girl someday. But sadly, it seems everyone else in the film wants to strip that internal confidence from Ludovic. Her parents bully her so much, culminating in physical abuse, as well as Ludo's mother holding her down and cutting her hair. All this causes poor Ludo to attempt suicide and move out of her parents house, because her family hates and blames her. At age seven.The scenes with the father were difficult to watch...scary men shouldn't have a place in a young trans girl's life. I had to stop the movie and watch over two nights. It was like living with my father again.. so, really good directing, I guess. Not a happy ending, either. As far as I can tell, Ludo has hidden her feminine activities for fear of her parents reactions. When offered feminine clothing, Ludo's face lights up, and then quickly darkens in fear (excellent acting!). Ludo's fears are confirmed, as she is hit across the face multiple times and strangled by her mother. Mere MINUTES after the abuse, Ludo's mother says "You can wear whatever you want".....Are we supposed to believe that statement? Are we supposed to believe that an abuser has stopped abusing, with no treatment? It's clear that Ludo can never return to that innocent age of childhood, where gender expression was simply "what I want to do".Ludo entered into the transgender world of adults at the age of seven, learning that feminine gender expression can make you a target of sexual violence, even from your own parents. This is a movie that does not act as a role model for how to accept trans children in your community. This is not a feel-good family movie comedy. This movie shows what children with atypical gender expression go through right now, every day.

If there's someone in your family who is "different" - or even if there isn't - don't miss "Ma Vie en Rose", the utterly charming and moving story of a 7-year-old boy named Ludovic Fabre who believes he should have been born a girl and whose dearest wish in life is to be like "Pam", the French version of Barbie.Alain Berliner treats his subject with great tenderness and humor; there are neither heroes nor villains in the French suburb where the film takes place, just some ordinary, flawed humans muddling their way towards clarity - or its opposite.There is real substance behind the soufflé-like lightness of tone, and the pink veil of Ludovic's childish imaginings conceals moments of genuine pain. But there is nothing here that will outrage or frighten, making the R rating a complete mystery. The film could be shown to an older child (10 and up).Ludovic, as played by Georges du Fresne, will steal your heart. His performance in this film is nothing short of memorable. His mother and grandmother run a close second, but Ludovic will stay with you long after this film is over.

I'm a great lover of French Cinema, but this film in particular blew me away. The story was one of the most moving things i have ever witnessed. It was something that really tugged at the heartstrings, some parts of the film were so powerful and the feelings that were being emoted were so strong it was hard to watch. The cinematography was brilliant. The use of colour was a real breath of fresh air, something which needs to find its way into mainstream films. The camera work was skillful and each shot seemed considered and perfected. The whole film was a masterpiece and something which I will remember for a very longtime if not forever.

Ma Vie en Rose is an extremely moving account of the struggles of a seven-year-old French transgendered girl. In the earliest stages of expressing her identity, Ludovic (I am not sure what her desired name is) suffers from frequent misunderstanding and punishment from adult figures in her life. Her parents, grandparents, neighbors, and even a doctor attack and discourage her efforts to convey her feelings of being female. These uncomfortable moments are brilliantly cut against wonderful dream-like scenes and also a few hopeful moments. It is so rare that a film captures a bit of the essence of what it means and entails to be transsexual/transgendered, and oddly, it's the ones that never even mention the 't' words. Unfortunately, though the audience probably feels appropriate sympathy for the main character and experiences a more proper emotional reaction to a transgendered person, they still remain uneducated on the details, even proper words, that are necessary for understanding the transgender experience. Ma Vie en Rose, as a film, has some terrific cinematography, and even in translation, alot of the dialogue is unique. Pacing is fantastic, and the story is absolutely unforgettable. Get out the Kleenex for this one.