The Belgian movie Girl (2018) was co-written and directed by Lukas Dhont. It stars Victor Polster as Lara, who is a transgender woman studying at a prestigious ballet school.
In Belgium there is a formalized process for people who want to switch genders. Lara is moving though that process, but not as quickly as she would like. Being in ballet adds tension, because the costumes make it difficult to flatten make genitalia.
Contrary to what you might have imagined, Lara's father is loving and supporting. Her physicians and classmates are all sensitive to her situation, and they want to help her. (I expected obstacles and roadblocks, but I was wrong.) Still, it isn't easy.
Victor Polster is a brilliant actor, and he plays the part well. There was some controversy about using a cisgender male to portray a transgender woman. From a cinematic point of view, Polster looks like an attractive woman, so that works. I'll leave it up to the viewer to decide whether a cisgender man can adequately understand the feelings of a transgender woman.
I enjoyed this movie, and recommend it. Girl has a fairly low IMDb rating of 7.1. I thought it was much better than that, and rated it 9.
In Belgium there is a formalized process for people who want to switch genders. Lara is moving though that process, but not as quickly as she would like. Being in ballet adds tension, because the costumes make it difficult to flatten make genitalia.
Contrary to what you might have imagined, Lara's father is loving and supporting. Her physicians and classmates are all sensitive to her situation, and they want to help her. (I expected obstacles and roadblocks, but I was wrong.) Still, it isn't easy.
Victor Polster is a brilliant actor, and he plays the part well. There was some controversy about using a cisgender male to portray a transgender woman. From a cinematic point of view, Polster looks like an attractive woman, so that works. I'll leave it up to the viewer to decide whether a cisgender man can adequately understand the feelings of a transgender woman.
I enjoyed this movie, and recommend it. Girl has a fairly low IMDb rating of 7.1. I thought it was much better than that, and rated it 9.