(OK, I am like a year late in posting this. Life happens, kids stay busy, and work is bonkers.)
With the 2020 San Francisco Transgender Film Festival being virtual and the pandemic still hanging around, I was happy to see the 2021 SF Transgender Film Festival still virtual. It's a lot easier to watch the films in the comfort of my own home after the kids have gone to bed. If the festival wasn't virtual, I'd probably miss all of the films due to the kids, wife, and just driving to the city.
One bad, thing, though, is that it feels like there might be too many films in the festival...and with so many, the overall quality goes down. Also, it feels like the pandemic also affected the ability to make films. For instance, there were very few films that had more than two people interacting.
So, here is my short list of films I'm reviewing:
Trans
Two older women talk about one of their grandchildren being trans. Although there were no trans actors in the program, the discussion between the two women was engaging and the quality of the film was good.
Coming Out
This stop motion film using Godzilla and Godzilla's child was actually pretty good. I thought the message and humor mixed well together for a responsible parent's reaction to their child coming out.
Nimzo
Although a portion of the plot was serious (trying to find T during the pandemic), the rest of the film's story didn't quite fit for me. Of note, though, was the performance of River Gallo who previously starred in another trans film called Ponyboi. River's acting has been very good and I like the depth of characters I've seen in the past two films.
Four Fruit Bites
This film kinda set the tone of the film festival with a lot of documentary style or one-on-one interviews. Four unique individuals are interviewed to talk about identity and sexuality. The conversations with RC were a hoot and I enjoyed his honesty. This film had great editing, visualization, and interesting stories.
Sorry, Out of Gender (feat. Shonalika)
When I first started watching this music video, I thought the lead singer was cis, but then realized that I honestly don't know. Shonalika looks pretty amazing and sounds like a woman with a deep voice...but not a male voice. The lyrics are interesting, but I was expecting some type of singing chorus rather than the continual spoken word type rap...or whatever it is. I am far from a music expert. The video is pretty good quality and the editing held it together.
Fuel for Life: Blake Hansen
A biker talks about her early journey through life while showing her ride her bike, working out, and enjoying a day with friends. The cinematography, editing, visuals, and flow are good. One might think that riding her bike out in the middle of nowhere is the physical representation of escaping all of the hardships that life throws at transpeople; and that it is easier to be yourself when no one else is judging you. I liked the film, but it also seemed a bit formulaic.
Gender X
This film was an interesting look at a number of Pakistani transwomen. There were some serious moments in this film, and it is an honest look at what some transpeople face around the world.
...and the winner this year is (I should come up with a name for it...hmm..maybe something like TranScript?):
Ummm...well, I really want to say none, but I think I'll give my TranScript to....Coming Out. I like the quality and the story, but, eh...I'll just leave it at that.
