By Nitum Jain:
Starring Felicity Huffman, Transamerica is a beautiful film that came out in 2005 about a transsexual, on the way to become a complete woman and shed the male shell she was forced into since birth- Bree Osbourne, who formerly lived as Stanley Chupak. The film follows the unexpected journey she takes when she discovers that she fathered a child in her college days, who is now a 17-year-old teenager called Toby, and is a renegade involved in hustling and petty crimes.
Not only the teen has to deal with a father who in no manner looks like a father other than one part of his anatomy, when Toby accidently discovers that the church-affiliated woman who has been travelling with him is actually biologically a man and also his father, but Bree has to deal with the society and seeks approval of her child in the life-changing decision she is making.
It’s a beautiful narrative of a human caught between two worlds and who simply doesn’t fit in any one, so decides to just change to fit in one. Huffman’s sincere portrayal of Bree is the USP of the film as she isn’t someone battling it out, she is simply herself, and she stands by her decisions. She isn’t a man trying to be a woman, she is a woman who is a woman, just has external organs that will be taken care of once she goes through her operation. This role also got the outstanding actress an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe among several other acclaimed awards.
The film discusses sexuality and its transcendence beyond the conventional constructs with such an impactful rhetoric that it will leave a deep impression on the viewer. The movie is strongly recommended to everyone as it is mixed with a perfect blend of light comedy that gives a sublime effect to all the issues that it deals with. But I would like to add a cautionary note that it’s not for minors due to certain adult themes and nudity.