After I saw BBM, I didn't want to think about reading a book or watching another movie for a looooooong time. My Netflix subscription was all about catching up on tv - nothing I had to pay much attention to. I even rented a bunch of Ang Lee movies, but never watched them. I haven't found that I love Heath or Jake or Ang movies - just BBM.
BUT - my old and true film love is documentaries. And I've been indulging myself, and simply must recommend this. It's called Southern Comfort, which is the name of a transgender convention held in Atlanta. It's such a well-told story, and more compelling and touching than you can imagine.
Here's the description, and I hope you'll give it a try. If you do, please let me know what you think.
"This moving documentary chronicles the last year in the life of Robert Eads, a southern cowboy and female-to-male transsexual dying of ovarian cancer. This film won the Grand Jury Documentary prize at Sundance in 2001. The director creates a deeply moving portrayal of love and determination in the face of prejudice.
Robert lives in rural Georgia, which he describes as "Bubba country" and the "home of the KKK." Nonetheless most of Robert's encounters with the heterosexual community are recounted as upbeat examples of surprising tolerance. Without any pretense, artifice, or apology, he is magnetically compelling in speech and movement. His complete lack of bitterness sets aside the distractions of his cancer, enabling the viewer share his satisfaction in life as a man and his joy in his relationships.
In spite of challenging subject matter, this documentary of Robert's self-selected "family" of transgendered men and women (and one heterosexual partner) is unerring in its ability to humanize without condescension. By not politicizing or sensationalizing her subjects' gender issues, the director has achieved a profoundly affecting emotional depth."
You won't be sorry for the 90 minutes you spend with these amazing folks.
