Transhood

Transhood

This heartwarming documentary explores the lives of four different trans children over the course of five years. While the filmmaker Sharon Liese isn’t trans herself, she beautifully documents the tender nuances that come with growing up trans, especially within the conservative community of Kansas City.

Liese focuses on each subject’s inner humanity and humility. Set in the Trump era, Transhood provides an important look at a community that was targeted by Trumpian politics and still continues to be targeted today.

Disclosure

Disclosure

Focusing on trans representation on film, this Sam Feder-directed doc is also executively produced by Laverne Cox. The interview subjects, who are all trans, educate the viewer on the tasteless and harmful representation that trans people are often subject to in film.

The movie then goes on to speak on what authentic representation actually looks like within the trans community and how we can avoid the same pitfalls in the future. It’s a moving and educational documentary that strives to rewrite the problematic history of trans representation in media.

Alice Junior

Alice Junior

Alice Junior is a hilarious and moving international film that is completely celebratory of the trans experience in a way that hasn’t been shown before. The charming and charismatic Alice is a budding YouTube sensation who was recently a runner-up in a reality competition show for young models.

But when she moves from Brazil to the rural and conservative countryside, she is forced to navigate bullying and other bullsh*t as a result. Due to her unbreakable confidence, she strives to embrace her trans identity in new ways while looking to land her long-sought-after first kiss.

The True Adventures of Wolfboy

The True Adventures of Wolfboy

A fantastical story meant for any kid who has ever felt like an outcast, The True Adventures of Wolfboy follows a young boy named Paul, who journeys across the country to find his estranged mother and figure out why he was born with a rare condition. Along the way, he encounters a colorful cast of characters, including a young trans girl named Aristiana.

Aristiana is such a powerful and radiant trans character and is reason enough to give this movie a go. She is confident in her identity, and her story arc is extraordinary and authentic. The connection Paul and Aristiana share is extremely special to witness and will surely make even the stuffiest conservatives ball their eyes out.

Born to Be

Born to Be

Another incredibly informative documentary, Born to Be follows a head surgeon at Mt. Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery Hospital as he transitions various patients throughout his career. Born to Be is a deeply humane and tender look at the trans experience, providing an authentic lens that is not only moving but educational for anyone confused about it. It is filmed with great sensitivity by Tania Cypriano and is captivating from start to finish.

Lingua Franca

Lingua Franca

The third film from Isabel Sandoval, Lingua Franca follows Olivia, a trans undocumented immigrant living in New York City. She falls in love with the grandson of an elderly woman she cares for and begins to navigate the complications that come with finding love as a trans woman. It’s a gorgeous and haunting portrayal of her trans experience, and Sandoval makes the film feel almost autobiographical as a result of her amazing edits and authentic storytelling.

Tomboy

Tomboy

In order to fit in with the community, ten-year-old Laure poses as a boy during a summer holiday in order to figure out their gender presentation. What transpires is a beautiful exploration of gender and pronouns in a way that has never been presented before on screen. The film opened to positive reviews and critics praised the directing, not to mention the fact that there aren’t many films out these days that focus on gender exploration.