Transamerica
Transamerica
is the story of a post-operative transsexual named
Sabrina (Bree) Claire Osborne, who two weeks
before her scheduled male to female sexual
reassignment surgery (SRS) discovers she has a
son. Toby, a seventeen-year-old street hustler
that is currently in jail, phones Bree looking for
Stanley -- the father he has never met, the man
Bree once was.
Bree hangs up and continues making her
telemarketing calls. She mentions the call to her
therapist, but then quickly dismisses the validity
of the boys claim and pushes it out of her head.
She is determined that nothing will detour her
from the only thing in her life that matters –
the surgery.
Bree’s
therapist however insists that she has to deal
with her past before she can take the next step
towards her future. She refuses to sign the needed
paperwork for the surgery until Bree confronts the
situation. Bree
bails Toby out of the youth correctional facility
without revealing her true identity, and gives him
$100. When she learns that he is planning to
hitchhike to California to star in porno movies,
Bree buys a car and offers him a ride. Her
intention of reuniting Toby with his stepfather;
unaware of why Toby left in the first place,
backfires.
Though
the “road trip” does have some clichés,
director Duncan Tucker uses the ride to reveal the
strengths, weaknesses, fears and aspirations of
the characters, which he accomplishes with humor
and sensitivity. With each mile the journey
evolves in ways that Bree never expected.
The
film doesn’t make sweeping statements about
transsexuality. Though there is some dialogue
between Bree and her estranged family on the
issue, and there is a short scene at the home of
another transsexual played by Bianca
Leigh, the story is more about a character
that happens to be transsexual than it is a film with a
transsexual agenda.
Engaging
from beginning to end Transamerica works for two
simple reasons: engaging characters that you come
to know and care about, and strong
performances from the entire cast (Felicity
Huffman's superb performance earned her a
Golden Globe Best Actress award).
Transamerica
is a solid film on many levels. 4 stars.
Brianna
Austin is a freelance writer, and publisher of www.briannaaustin.com
and www.tglife.com
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