This is not a perfect doc- it pointedly avoids considering race even as it takes place in Georgia, talks of a convention of ‘diversity, and the very first story involving the KKK and stopping short of actually condemning them beyond a ‘they wouldn’t really accept me if they knew’. And the film could use more anger at the grave injustice on display here that’s still killing so many trans people- denial of health care, instead framing it as a tragic fact of life and only briefly touching upon the anger and condemnation from Robert and his chosen family, avoiding naming or showing any of these doctors.
But Robert and his chosen family rise above that, showing love even in the darkest of times. Showing how southern culture and queer culture not separate, mutually exclusive, or hostile to each other inherently: but are often intertwined, part of the same whole of a person. This movie is irrevocably both. Robert and his people are both, you can’t separate one from the other, and that cozy, warm community is enthralling, heart warming, and heart breaking in turns. In terms of behind the camera, it shows its perspective of a cis eye, but the subjects are still engrossing and affecting to this day, and worth the watch.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2023-07-08T09:32:37Z
This is not a perfect doc- it pointedly avoids considering race even as it takes place in Georgia, talks of a convention of ‘diversity, and the very first story involving the KKK and stopping short of actually condemning them beyond a ‘they wouldn’t really accept me if they knew’. And the film could use more anger at the grave injustice on display here that’s still killing so many trans people- denial of health care, instead framing it as a tragic fact of life and only briefly touching upon the anger and condemnation from Robert and his chosen family, avoiding naming or showing any of these doctors.
But Robert and his chosen family rise above that, showing love even in the darkest of times. Showing how southern culture and queer culture not separate, mutually exclusive, or hostile to each other inherently: but are often intertwined, part of the same whole of a person. This movie is irrevocably both. Robert and his people are both, you can’t separate one from the other, and that cozy, warm community is enthralling, heart warming, and heart breaking in turns. In terms of behind the camera, it shows its perspective of a cis eye, but the subjects are still engrossing and affecting to this day, and worth the watch.