Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Beautiful, moving film.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I always laugh and cry through this movie, it is a great story, with universal themes, and a lot of layered meaning and humor.It is pretty real, and I feel for Bree because I am also a woman of transsexual experience, and I've been through a lot of what she goes through as part of transition. Changing sex is one of the most difficult (and risky) things a human being can do - a bit like climbing Everest without the glory (that's why the bath-scene is *so poignant* and *important*). So many scenes ring true to my experience.If you pay close attention, you will see and hear some of the "secret" humor we trans woman share among ourselves...humor helps us as we pay our "trans dues."Blessings & Joy!!Renee

Transamerica was a great movie that highlighted many obstacles that trans-gendered and transsexual people are faced with. One of the greatest fears of transsexual people is having their gender questioned and in Transamerica, Bree is faced with that exact fear. When Bree is sitting in a restaurant, she finds a little girl staring at her with a confused look on her face. Eventually the little girl asks Bree, "are you a boy or a girl?" Bree immediately breaks down and viewers are exposed to the true difficulties that transsexuals deal with on a day to day basis. Another issue that transsexuals deal with is the classification of their disorder. Gender dysmorphia is what trans-gendered people must be diagnosed with before any surgery procedures can take place. In Transamerica, Bree makes a comment to her doctor about how it is an amazing thing that plastic surgery is a cure for her disorder. The majority of trans-gendered people would most likely agree that surgery would be a cure for their disorder. Evidently, Bree does not agree that she has a mental disorder but simply believes her brain does not match her body. Unfortunately in today's society, trans-gendered people are considered to have a mental disorder and as many know, being known to having a mental disorder can be dire to one's life. Another issue that Bree has difficulties facing is her life as a man. Bree's past comes back to haunt her when she finds out that she has a son who has many troubles of his own. She struggles with coming to terms with the fact that her past can not be changed and that she has to deal with consequences of her actions while living life as a man. Clearly, trans-gendered people have a number of different issues that need to be dealt with in order to live happily. Once Bree is able to accept her past, she is able to find peace and happiness as a woman

11125802 The film TransAmerica focuses on many aspects of sexuality and transgenderism. The director, Duncan Tucker, and Felicity Huffman, who plays Bree, do an excellent job of portraying gender as a performance. Bree is diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which involves a mismatch between biological sex and perceived gender. Gender is expressed through gender roles, which are defined by society as being "masculine" or "feminine". Bree grew up as Stanley, and although this time is not shown in the film, one can assume that she conformed to the stereotypical male gender roles for Stanley. This is to be expected because Bree is constantly very concerned about how people are viewing her, and this suggests that she has always been conscious of the gender roles required of her. Therefore, Bree needs to relearn a new gender role when she begins her transition. As Bree is transitioning, it is evident that she puts great effort into appearing outwardly feminine. She wears long skirts in pastel colours such as pink and purple, and takes pleasure in applying quite a lot of make up. She is always very deliberate in her movements; she takes care to cross her legs in a "feminine" way and seems to be very concerned with how she places her hands. Throughout the film, it is obvious that she is trying to appear delicate and feminine. It is possible that she is overcompensating with this gender performance. She is insecure and doesn't feel confident in her role as a pre-operative transgendered woman, and being overly-feminine helps her avoid the fear of judgment or persecution. Transamerica questions social norms of gender expression and sexuality, and it is a thought-provoking film that is definitely worth watching.

I watched this movie on Netflix expecting a very average (at best) movie about the difficulties of life as a trans-gender woman. The sort of plea for understanding that is made out of good moral intentions, but fails on artistic grounds. I was surprised and delighted to see a good story in its own right which both explored the psychology of a trans-gender woman, and told a genuinely interesting story about honesty and trust.The main character, Bree, is awaiting her surgery to become a woman but finds out she has a son. The doctors want her life to be in order before she goes through with it so she agrees to drive her son across the country, back to the West Coast where she lives to prove they are on good terms and her life is in order. But she does not want to admit that she is trans-gendered to her son, or that she is his lost (and somewhat idealized) father. The longer she keeps it secret, of course, the greater the tension, and the less chance of forgiveness and trust when her son finally finds out.The Bree character is repulsive on one level but also relatable. Feeling compelled to divulge a secret for moral reasons that could ruin you is something I can relate to and many will feel sympathy for Bree even as she goes down such a selfish and cowardly road.The film eventually takes a turn that is expected on one level, but also tragic and horrifying, and in the end it makes for a suspenseful and moving story. The two leads give fantastic performances (I did not recognize the lead actress and did not know she was not played by a trans-gender woman), and Kevin Zegers makes for wonderful eye candy. Even if you're not trans (I am not, myself) and are just interested in a good story about family and reconciliation I recommend checking out Transamerica. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!