Trans women have always been fascinating, they are seductive because they are unusual and unexplored, but the movies are catching up with our fascination with Trans women and are now depicting them and their stories on the big screen.
Movies about Trans Women
Whilst the first mainstream films featuring trans characters started emerging during the mid-1950s, it took a fair few years for the film industry to actually openly and completely accept that stories featuring trans women are interesting and are part of day to day life, and so relatable by the viewing public. In part this can be explained by the fact that society took an immeasurably long period of time to accept those of different persuasions from the accepted norm – and even longer to commit this acceptance to film.
More than Trans Porn
Trans porn has been around as long as any other type of pornography, and we love it, but it is also interesting to see more mainstream storytelling movies. Trans characters now feature in all types of genres from comedy to romance, and real-life portrayals, virtually every basic storyline has been covered.
However, there are some films which stand out from the crowd, and a few of them feature here:
- 1970 – The Christine Jorgenson Story. Notable for it’s early exploration of trans characters, this real-life drama portrays the journey of a former Army Private from the Bronx in her struggle through gender change. It’s set in Denmark in 1952 and it was one of the earliest films to openly accept and detail trans characters.
- 1975 – Dog Day Afternoon. This film stars Al Pacino, whose lover is a transgender woman. In a gesture which reflects the desperation of his lover to complete the transgender process, Al Pacino’s character robs a bank to pay for his lover’s gender reassignment surgery. This truly was one of the leading films featuring trans activists for the first time.
- 2001 – By Hook Or By Crook. This was one of the first films to be directed by, written by and starring transgender men. It’s remarkable for its, unashamed straightforward tackling of potentially sensitive material.
- 2007 – Little Bitty Titty Committee comedy film. Here, we see the trans issue taken through a journey of comedy, rather than being shot to raise awareness of trans people. This film is about feminists who determinedly spread their word through their controversial art and vandalism. By 2007, the trans taboo was beginning to be well and truly erased.
- 2011 – Albert Nobbs. This film is a drama, in which a trans man who is living in 19th century Dublin bonds with another trans man. It’s a fairly simple storyline and highlights the many, many years of transgender issues, however it did also receive some criticism. It was felt by some that the film apparently portrays trans men as ‘women in disguise’, thereby undermining Albert Nobbs’s central premise.