Gun Hill Road played at Images Cinema (Williamstown, MA) on November 11, 2013. It is a powerful, sometimes dark and painful story of a trans-sexual youth in a gritty NY neighborhood. The film is sensitively done, moving and instructive. The following is taken from the trailer. If you are interested in these topics, rent it from Netflix.
About the Film
Gun Hill Road is the story of a family in transition. It is
the story of a young man exploring his sexuality in an intolerant and
judgmental world and his exploration's impact on his relationship with his
parents and himself.
A film by writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green, Gun Hill
Road was a finalist for the esteemed Jury Award at the 2011 Sundance Film
Festival and played at festivals globally in Spring 2011.
Starring Esai Morales (La Bamba, "Caprica") and
Judy Reyes ("Scrubs"), and introducing Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
will open theatrically on August 5, 2011.
Synopsis:
After three years in prison, Enrique (Esai Morales) returns
home to the Bronx to find the world he knew has changed. His wife, Angela (Judy
Reyes), struggles to hide an emotional affair, and his teenage son, Michael
(Harmony Santana), explores a sexual transformation well beyond Enrique's grasp
and understanding.
Unable to accept his child, Enrique clings to his masculine
ideals while Angela attempts to hold the family together by protecting Michael.
Still under the watchful eye of his parole officer (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.),
Enrique must become the father he needs to be or, once again, risk losing his
family and freedom.
Can a father's fierce love for his family overcome his
street-hardened ideas about manhood and end the vicious cycle controlling his
life? Writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green's first feature film is an
intricate portrait of a family divided told with sensitivity, gentle humor, and
a deep understanding of the environment that shapes its people.
2011 86 minutes. Available on Netflix.
by Pedro Almadovar
From NetFlix: Roy (Tom Wilkinson), a small-town Illinois man, wildly declares after blacking out on his 25th wedding anniversary that he's convinced he's a woman trapped inside a man's body. It's up to Roy's shell-shocked wife, Irma (Jessica Lange), his kids and the entire community to come to terms with this stunning revelation. It won't be easy. Based on a hit play by Jane Anderson." 2003, 108 minutes
From the NY Times: To call Felicity Huffman's performance in "Transamerica" persuasive would be an understatement, as well as somewhat misleading. Her character, Bree (short for Sabrina), is a pre-operative transsexual who lives in Los Angeles and in a condition she refers to as "stealth." In other words, though still technically male, Bree passes for a woman, though there is nothing very stealthy about her almost theatrical displays of femininity. In this debut feature by Duncan Tucker, who wrote and directed it, "Transamerica" sets out to affirm Bree's dignity, to liberate her and others like her from any association with camp or freakishness. That the film succeeds without slipping too far into sentimentality or didacticism is in no small measure the result of Ms. Huffman's wit and grace. Her performance is a complex metamorphosis, and it is thrilling to watch. "Transamerica" itself does not always live up to its star, but it is touching and sometimes funny, despite its overall air of indie earnestness. Mr. Tucker is a subtle and conscientious writer; he takes care to treat Bree as a person rather than a case study. — A. O. Scott, The New York Times 2005 103 minutes
I finally saw this movie. It is sensitively produced, funny, and a great introduction to this subject -- well worth seeing.
Availability:
Netflix
