I just saw Transamerica last night and Huffman did a brilliant performance, definitely outshining the movie, which is the cliched sort of indie “road movie” that’s been done to death (apparently in a world where no one’s ever heard of interstate highways). But as the director has said in interviews, it’s really not a movie about transsexualism. It’s about an individual finding herself and learning to connect to others.

At the start of the movie, Bree has let her fears marginalize herself. (Of course there’s no telling what she went through prior to the first act.) But Bree seemingly has constructed a protective bubble around herself. She works as dishwasher (where she doesn’t need to interact with anyone and the restaurants staff only speaks to her in Spanish, which she only marginly understands) and as a telemarketer, where she’s just a voice on the phone. One reviewer asutely commented that her heavy make-up, which she shouldn’t need any more after electrolysis, was a form of armor. (It’s notable that as Bree comes out of her shell, the make-up becomes lighter.) While she makes a reference to having friends, there’s no evidence that she has any—the only person she ever calls for advice during the trip is her therapist. In interviews Huffman has said Bree’s wardrobe is so bad in part because Bree does all her shopping via catalog, so she won’t have to interact with sales people. As one reviewer said: “this heroine would just as soon not be watched, for fear of being truly seen.” In short, by distancing herself from others, she’s minimized the chance she can be hurt—but also the chance that she can be loved.

By the end of the movie, she’s learned not how to be a woman, but to be a multi-dimensional person. I think Huffman summed it up nicely in this interview:

She’s a freak,” Huffman said of Bree fondly. “Not because she is transgender but because she’s trying to fit herself into this image of what she thinks a woman is. She can’t just let herself be who she is. Until the end. When she does, a little.

I also liked how the movie touched on how transitioning isn’t a magic bullet—afterwards you’re still “you.” While the therapist refusing to sign Bree’s letter to greenlight surgery is really just a McGuffin to get the plot rolling, there is a certain amount of plausibility to it. Not that Bree needs to bail out her son as a prequisite for GRS per se, rather her reaction of trying to sweep it under the rug indicates that she hadn’t yet accepted that she wouldn’t be able to leave her past behind.

For those of us within the transgender spectrum, there’s more than few details in the film to quibble over. For example, if Bree is as broke as she’s supposed to be, she’d be going to Thailand, not having her surgery done locally (although to me this was an acceptable bit of dramatic license, since it was necessary for a crucial scene). Likewise, it’s dubious that Bree wouldn’t know what a “GG” (“genetic girl”) is, but it’s just one of those things necessary to explain things to a lay audience.

The one unfortunate thing is that since so few movies have been made about TSs, Bree may be taken as emblematic of TSs rather than an individual who happens to be TS and that her personality isn’t reflective of TSs collectively. But even though she’s a flawed character (as are most of the characters in the movie) she’s a deeply sympathetic character.

A couple thoughts on the audience. The theater was half full (mostly couples from what I could see)—not bad for a Sunday night and at the end the audience gave a rousing round of applause. There were gasps when Huffman’s prosthetic (named Andy) was revealed—in a key scene in which another character learns Bree’s secret—but part of it may have just been that Andy was a bit big boy and audience aren’t used to full-frontal male nudity.

FYI there’s an interesting interview with the director among other tidbits, he said, he considered casting a TS actress but couldn’t find one with the acting chops, or who were willing to come out deep stealth, to play the part.

As far as the casting, I’ve heard some griping in various TG circles about not casting a TS, but I think it’s worth considering what Betty (the TG partner of Helen Boyd, author of “My Husband Betty” and actor herself) said on the issue:

What I really wanted to comment on was this notion of “acting” that’s been bandied about here. You see, you can’t play being a transexual. It’s not possible. Or being a hunchback. Or blind. Anymore than you can play being angry. Or sad. Or happy. Those are things that describe a character but they don’t define a character.

What you play is a person. Now, a person may be trans or blind or a hunchback. Or a happy blind transexual hunchback. But what you’re really playing is a person who happens to have those characteristics.

Truly, being blind or trans or a happy hunchback will have an effect on a person’s outlook on life. No question. But… it’s the person you play. Not the characteristics.

Which is why I never had a problem with FH being cast. She’s a really good actress. And, for me, talent should always win out. Because a talented actor will find the person and play that. Not the characteristics.