It’s isn’t unusual if sometimes one ends up wondering why certain movies are so critically acclaimed and popular at award functions. I can’t really say for othr people, but every now and then, I find myself rolling my eyes and flipping the channel when I see certain "acclaimed" productions. However, Transamerica definitly does not belong to the above category.
It was nominated for two oscars and another 26 wins and 12 nominations in 2005. And trust me, every single one of these wins and nominations was worth it !
The movie is about Felicity Huffman( Lynette from Desperate Houswives) who is a transsexual man who is about to go in for a sex change operation in a week. He’s changed his name from Stanley to Bree, gone in for a couple of facial surgeries(making him look more feminine) and dresses himself like the woman he is at heart. All that is left is the sex change operation and then not even a certified gynaecologist wold be able to make out the difference. In the middle of this perfect setup, she ( no point referring to Bree as a man, she is clearly a woman albeit born as a man) gets a call from a young boy claiming to be Stanley’s son. The Boy (Kevin Zegers as Toby) has been arrested on the streets of NewYork for prostition and possession of drugs. Try as she might, she simply cannot ignore the call for help. She reaches New York to face up to her past, bails the boy out and offers him a ride to LA. All this without telling him that she is his dad, and letting him believe that she is a christian missionary from the "Church of the Potential Father".
And thus the journey begins, a delightful journey that makes stops and detours along the way to introduce new characters such asthe boy’s father, a sex change support group, Bree’s family and a Navajo wrangler. As the journey progresses, not only do we come to ask ourselves questions about society, gender and definitions of right and wrong, but we also come to love and understand the characters, to smile with them.
It’s a movie that says everything that it wants to say without making it too harsh or difficult to swallow, its a movie that makes us see people as people and not as male or female. And most importantly, its a movie that stays away from moralizing and passing judgements. It does not waste its time discussing the so called "morality" or "immorality" behind sex change. Rather, it speaks of everyone being true to themselves and not judging others.
All in all, its a treat to watch, its the kind of movie that youd want to buy and add to your collection!
Err... did I forget to say Kevin Zegers is yummy??