I really loved this from the start. It is simple, yet dramatic and funny, and real enough that you can relate to it while still testing suspension of disbelief. A lot of viewers faulted this for being a fantasy, and while I can agree with that in some regards, I appreciated there being a trans oriented film that wasn't all doom and gloom and tragedy. There's no denying that is the reality for many trans people, but trans people experience glory and happiness too, just like we all do, so I am glad that that aspect of the trans experience is covered here as well.
I also liked the scope of the film, and the decision to focus on a girl's experience, not only as a transwoman, but as a human being, battling to become comfortable in one's own skin and make sense of love and sexuality, rather than focusing on society and its related subsequent hardships the protagonist will face due to their gender identity. It is very small and very personal, a quality which I loved.
All the good aside, this film does suffer from some glaringly distressing problems, that actually cause this to lose a star from me. This has a real problem with pacing and character development, with things either being drawn out too long or happening too quickly. Certain beginnings and conclusions to the various relationships here really made no sense, building to a conclusion that simply sweeps what we thought we knew under the rug, quickly tidying up the negative plot points and tying up the many loose ends left in drastic and overly saccharine ways.
I came to love and root for Francesca and Ricky as a couple. While I certainly predicted she would end up with her friend just because of genre tropes, we barely get to know him. I spent most of the film getting attached to and learning about Ricky and Francesca, so for Ricky and Robby to end up together and Francesca go off with her transphobic meathead of a fiancée, really did not resonate or sit well with me. Speaking of him, it is really poor character development, how they simply erased his apparent history of anger and trans/homophobia in favor of giving Francesca her typical "happy" ending. The whole "everyone gets what they want and live forever without a care in the world" ending really left a bad taste in my mouth and really lessened my retrospective enjoyment of the film.
Another problem for me was Michelle Hendley's performance. She is without a doubt very beautiful and talented, and she handles the film's pinnacle of drama and emotion with a remarkable sense of grace. However in the film's lighter scenes, she really struggles with natural delivery and getting into a sense of chemistry with her co-stars. She has so much potential and I hope she continues to learn and grow into the star I know is in her.
Overall, it is a very cute, if a bit clichéd romantic drama with some very great dialogue pertaining to the cis perception of gender and sexuality. I wish we could have got some more realistic character development and a more real, or at the very least not so sickly sweet, ending. The ride there was very fun and enlightening though, and this film has definitely earned it's place as a lighter entry into the ever growing narrative of transgendered people in film.
I also liked the scope of the film, and the decision to focus on a girl's experience, not only as a transwoman, but as a human being, battling to become comfortable in one's own skin and make sense of love and sexuality, rather than focusing on society and its related subsequent hardships the protagonist will face due to their gender identity. It is very small and very personal, a quality which I loved.
All the good aside, this film does suffer from some glaringly distressing problems, that actually cause this to lose a star from me. This has a real problem with pacing and character development, with things either being drawn out too long or happening too quickly. Certain beginnings and conclusions to the various relationships here really made no sense, building to a conclusion that simply sweeps what we thought we knew under the rug, quickly tidying up the negative plot points and tying up the many loose ends left in drastic and overly saccharine ways.
I came to love and root for Francesca and Ricky as a couple. While I certainly predicted she would end up with her friend just because of genre tropes, we barely get to know him. I spent most of the film getting attached to and learning about Ricky and Francesca, so for Ricky and Robby to end up together and Francesca go off with her transphobic meathead of a fiancée, really did not resonate or sit well with me. Speaking of him, it is really poor character development, how they simply erased his apparent history of anger and trans/homophobia in favor of giving Francesca her typical "happy" ending. The whole "everyone gets what they want and live forever without a care in the world" ending really left a bad taste in my mouth and really lessened my retrospective enjoyment of the film.
Another problem for me was Michelle Hendley's performance. She is without a doubt very beautiful and talented, and she handles the film's pinnacle of drama and emotion with a remarkable sense of grace. However in the film's lighter scenes, she really struggles with natural delivery and getting into a sense of chemistry with her co-stars. She has so much potential and I hope she continues to learn and grow into the star I know is in her.
Overall, it is a very cute, if a bit clichéd romantic drama with some very great dialogue pertaining to the cis perception of gender and sexuality. I wish we could have got some more realistic character development and a more real, or at the very least not so sickly sweet, ending. The ride there was very fun and enlightening though, and this film has definitely earned it's place as a lighter entry into the ever growing narrative of transgendered people in film.