Transamerica: "Life is a journey. Bring an open mind."

Transamerica documents the story of middle-aged pre-op transgender woman who is just a week away from getting the final surgery that will complete her journey to womanhood. Unfortunately, her life is turned upside down when she gets a terribly timed phone call about a son she didn't know she had who is being thrown into jail and she's the only one responsible for him. His mother is dead and his step father is (unknown to her) abusive. Thus sparks the touching and family-driven road trip across America with her him at her side. His aspiration is to be a gay porn star whereas hers is simply to have a sense of normality in her life. The son, Toby (Kevin Zegers), has absolutely no idea the female 'Christian Missionary' that Bree is pretending to be is actually, technically, a male. Oh, and his father. The plot revolves around their dysfunctional relationship, the ethics of family development and sexuality.

I thought Felicity Huffman excelled as Bree Osbourne, previously know as Stanley, the star of the film. I've never seen her in anything other that Desperate Housewives and it was both a pleasure and a surprise to see her completely stealing every scene she's in (which is almost every one). I've definitely gained a new respect for this amazing actress because she's absolutely superb playing Bree. I actually found it very, very effective to have a woman playing a male playing a woman. Confused? Yeah, but it's the perfect casting choice. Kevin Zegers, although he gets much less screentime, remained a terrorific actor in potraying emotionally ruined Toby, the bisexual street hustler.

Felicity and Kevin

Like most people, I didn't expect to be able to relate to this. The plight of somebody who is so completely different to myself, and probably most people that watch this film, seems a little alienating. Fortunately, with the help of the talented actors/actresses and fantastic writing, the film focuses on the journey the two troubled characters are undertaking rather than making the transgender issue the obvious catalyst. Everything is done tastefully and thoughtfully; although there are a few scenes which are rather disturbing. And even though they are, they're completely valid and needed.

At the heart, this film is about love. About loving yourself and loving others. Bree is desperate to love someone, to be loved but mostly just to love herself. Toby has never had any affection shown to him other than sex which he is completely dependent on and his ability to form relationships with people is completely destroyed.



Transamerica is real without being gritty, it's much less difficult to watch than other films that tackle the same issues (The Crying Game) and isn't essentially a tragedy. And despite the fact it brings up many issues (drugs, prostitution, questionable parenting) the film never goes off on a tangent but focuses on Bree and Toby's relationship. The acting is amazing, the dialog is realistic and witty and the overall product is a very heart warming, touching film. I recommend it to anyone, especially to people who want to broaden their minds or might have negative views on the transgender community.