The Complete TG Movie List

[Carolyn Marie]

A friend who is really into TG-themed movies, including some really rare ones, sent me this list. It is the most complete list I've seen, and includes a short synopsis. I'm not sure how to find some of the older ones, but the hunt can be fun.

I Want What I Want. This film, staring starring Anne Heywood, tells the story of Roy, AKA Wendy, who is determined to live out her life as a real woman. The story, based on a very good (collectible) book by Geoff Brown and published in 1966 (see my book list) resonates with truth. It is my personal favorite. You can get the CD from Amazon and read the book online here: http://www.antijen.or....

Soldier’s Girl. This is a wonderful movie, based on the true story of a soldier, Barry Winchell, who fell in love with transgender nightclub performer Calpernia Addams. This touching tale, available through Amazon, is beautiful to watch. I won’t reveal more. If you don’t already know the story, watch the movie before you read about it. Lee Pace gives a remarkable performance, and the opening act is worth the price of the movie.

The Woman Inside. A collectible, available as a used VHS through Amazon, tells the story of Sergeant Hollis MacKenzie, who decides he can no longer live a lie and determines to become Holly. The transition is well told, with humor and compassion. Starring Gloria Manon, Dane Clark and Joan Blondell, it offers a sympathetic look at this transgender’s dilemma, including dating and love. Get this movie. It’s worth repeated viewings.

TransAmerica. Felicity Huffman’s acting is amazing in this wonderful film, probably the most watched transgender movie since it was in mainstream theaters. A must-see if you haven’t, and worth seeing again and again for the rest of us. Amazon sells it.

Dinah East. A real gem, which I’d never heard of until recently. Starring Ultra Violet, Andy Davis, Reid Smith and Jeremy Stockwell, it tells the story of an aspiring Hollywood actor who gets his first job only after trying for a part as an actress. But the deception is not just for monetary reward. This is a transgender woman at heart, and she’s found her real self and makes the most of it. She becomes a “glamorous movie diva,” as the film notes say, and even has a son (you’ll need to watch this to understand). Her affair with her driver is also fascinating to watch. A fun movie and a touching one as well.

Vegas in Space. Space drag is big in this comedy. I won’t recommend it as a good film, but with some alcohol to accompany it, it’s a real gas. You’ll flip your wig! A DVD, starring Matthew Barton, Connie Champagne, Daniel Crone, is available through Amazon. The box notes on my VCR version says the movie “has more wigs than Wigstock, more makeup than a Miss America pageant, all the fabulousness of ‘Priscilla’ and manages to out Wood Ed Wood!”

Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde. Starring Ralph Bates, and three-time Bond girl Martine Beswick, this is a sexy twist on the traditional tale. The DVD is available through Amazon. Sister Hyde’s initial unveiling is worth the price of the film, and the rest is pretty darn good too. You won’t be scared, just titillated, as Sister Hyde’s personality begins to dominate until… Ah, but that’s the fun! A must-see.

The Crying Game. Jaye Davidson’s amazing performance as Dill is memorable for its realism. The story is so well known to us now, but at the time it was released in 2002, it was so “hush hush” that everyone went to see it to learn the mystery. An Amazon reviewer cautions about one version, writing, “International customers, please note: this is the version for Puritans, with Jaye Davidson's naughty bits blacked out. As a result, one pivotal scene loses 90% of its punch.” So be aware and get whatever is the right version to buy.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Get ready to rock and roll, ladies! The story of a glam-rocket, Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell) is a musical Tour de force with a song for every scene, and every song is a winner. My favorite is “Wig in a Box.” You’ll be humming it every time you dress up.

Triple Echo. Starring Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed and Brian Deacon, this rare VHS-only film is a compassionate story about a young British soldier during World War II who decides to become a deserter by moving in with a woman whose husband is away at war, maybe dead. She offers to let him stay, and helps disguise him as her sister. Soldiers show up looking for the missing man, and one of them, Oliver Reed, gets the notion to invite the sister out to a dance. She accepts. I won’t say more.

Princesa. An Italian film available on DVD, this is the story of Fernanda, a young Brazilian transsexual who is determined to become a woman, get married and become a normal housewife. But she’s a prostitute first. This is a good movie, starring Ingrid de Souza. One Amazon reviewer wrote, “Whoever wrote this script definitely either knew a transgender person or was transgender because they hit the nail right on the head.” I agree.

Different For Girls. What’s it like to be young and transgender? That’s the touching story starring Steven Mackintosh, who plays Karl/Kim with compassion and feeling. It’s also a love story with a wonderful sex scene between Kim and her boyfriend.

Normal. A coming-out transgender story, it is unusual in its honesty about this touchy subject. Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange portray husband and wife. He wants a sex change. She doesn’t understand. This is a tough film to watch but it’s honest, and how many films on transgender characters can say that?

Another Woman. This is also a story with a hard truth at its core. Having had her sex change, Lea (a French transgender actress!!!) is a woman with a secret she won’t reveal to her co-workers at a pharmaceutical company. She is conflicted by her need to see her children, whom she left behind 10 years earlier. She is also conflicted by her need to be loved, yet afraid to reveal her past. How will this all end? I love this movie! Available (French with English subtitles) from Amazon on DVD.


Ma Vie en Rose. This 1997 French film is the touching story of a young boy who wants to be a girl, despite his parents’ wishes. He puts on makeup, dons dresses. He knows what he wants. Will he get it? Available on Amazon.

Beautiful Boxer. The true story of Parinya Charoenphol, a kickboxer who gets a sex change operation.

Breakfast on Pluto (2005) Follows an Irish Transsexual woman from childhood to woman. Fun to watch.

Rocky Horror Picture Show. See it. Sing it. Dance the Time Warp. What more is there to say?

Kinky Boots. There is this drag queen who saves the day when a shoe factory is about to close in hard times. How does she do it? Why, she suggests they make "kinky boots" for drag queens, of course! It's really a great story, available from Amazon.

Prodigal Sons. This is a documentary, an amazing story about transgender woman Kimberly Reed, who stars in and directs her own film about her life as a high school football hero who has a sex-change operation. The twist in this story comes from learning the truth about her adopted brother. A great film, available from Amazon.

[Guest -guest-]

Check out "Just Like A Woman", starring Adrian Pasdar.

I thought it handled the subject very tastefully.

[Guest -guest-]

I'm watching "Just Like A Woman" now on YouTube.

Julie Walters is exquisite.

[Guest -guest-]

OMG...what a beautiful love story. I'm crying as I write this.

Thanks for spurring my memory to see "Just Like A Woman" again after many years.

[Guest lukas64]

There's another couple of lists here:

http://johnnyj24.tumblr.com/tagged/tsfilms

that also have a synopsis. The one list is over 20 pages long I think!

[JenniferB]

Just recently on Netflix I watched "30 for 30: Renee", which is a biography of Renee Richards. I thought it was very well made.

Then there is "The Christine Jorgensen Story", also on Netflix. I didn't think the movie was very good and many of the "facts" they quote are wrong. It does look like a late 60's to early 70's type movie. Yet it does show how trans people can be treated.

"Trinidad" (on Netflix) revolves around the trans presence in Trinidad when Marci Bowers practiced there.

My favorite transsexual movie to date is "TransAmerica". I see myself almost precisely the same way as the main MTF character.

"Normal" is good at showing the darkside of human nature where a trans woman outs herself in a workplace dominated by men, and how a family deals with the revelation, including members who aren't able to understand. It's pretty realistic.

[Guest]

If you ever pick up Kill Your Darlings, with John Larroquette, throw it back into the gab bin. It's trans-terrible. I pitty the girl that had to make it. PeeUew! Just put me on a stick and call me Jody flavored Sucker!

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Hi Carolyn,

I own two TG movies. 1. Transamerica and 2. A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story. A Girl Like me is a tragic true story.

Love.

Brenda

[Guest Guest_]

Just this past weekend I watched Boy's dont Cry. I had never seen it before, and it is a very sad movie to watch. Amber L.

[Guest]

I found an off beat one at the library. It is not totally trans focused but has a cool trans character in it. Taking Woodstock. It is so funny and a whole lot factual. So funny!

[Guest Bellexia]

Transamerica was terrible imo. That's all I will say. That said I might just check out some of them. I am not huge on trans/glbt movies as often they tend to just be imo boring/bad movies with the added glbt swing to them to make them seem relevant. Better than chocolate was an exception to this personal rule of mine. Had a good bit with a trans girl in there, the pain she went through not only with a disapproving father (if i remember correctly, I saw this in my teens) and a romantic bit with a cis gender lesbian. That part kind of stuck with me because it's hard to find cis gender lesbians who will date you despite the trans thing. For me at least.

[Guest Sarah Faith]

I'm not really a fan of the transgender movie genre to be honest. Before I started transitioning I found it depressing, and now that I am transitioning I am living it and have a hard time taking hollywood's take on all of this seriously.

Sarah

[Guest Sarah21]

Gun Hill Road is recently out on DVD and is on NetFlix as we well.

A good movie and deals with some real issues.

An ex-con returns home to the Bronx after three year in prison to discover his wife estranged and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test.

[Guest Jaques]

when I lst thought about transitioning I saw boys don't cry and I cried - apart from the fact its brutal and true story, I identified so much with Brandon - except no one hurt me physically and im still here................its odd how there are many more M2F films than F2M- I love the books like Suits Me, the life of Billy Tipton, Colonel Barkers Monstrous Regiment about Valarie Arkell-smith, one of the most infamous transmen during the lst world war and The Queen of Whale Cay about Joe Carstairs - who was reputed to have had affairs with many famous women including Marlene Deitrich - all true life stories.

Albert Knobbs was another fairly recent film about a f2m waiter in Victorian times, played by Glen Close, which they showed at our local Electric Cinema in Hastings - thee is a red carpet lined with little lights down the sides and there are only 60 seats, all red velvet and you can get a glass of wine, coffee, and sit drinking as you watch - it was really funny when we sat there waiting for it to start and about 20 lesbians turned up en mass, they almost took over the place, lol!

[Guest]

TransAmerica

Just managed to get a copy at the local library before Christmas.

Must've watched it at least six times.

The one "scene" which hit home every time is when Bree is going in for her GRS.

I can't help but think that I should be the one going in for the surgery.

Must be the HRT and my second puberty.

A highly recommended movie for any one.

Huggs,

Joann

[Guest Razilee]

My favorite transgender film is "Zerophilia" (2006). It's mostly romantic comedy with a little horror. It's a science fictional/fantasy in that the main character not only change gender but do so back and forth sometimes voluntarily, sometime involuntarily. There is almost plausible technobabble, the Z chromosome, to explain phenomenon that makes one wish it were true. It also favors the M2F rather than F2M, which I like, without neglecting either. My greatest disappointment with the film is that there was not a sequel, "The Further Adventures of Max and Michelle and Luke and Luca".

[StephanieVikingGirl]

I like "Identity Theft" (2009) and "The Hit Girl" (2013). Both are directed by James Ward of Three Degrees Off Center Productions, and they combine some supernatural horror elements, sex change, and humor. Low budget indie films, but very well made. Not serious, but fun, and quite entertaining.

Hugs,

Stephanie

[Cyndee]

I really enjoyed "Glen or Glenda" by Ed Wood. This movie is quite old (1953) yet surprisingly progressive for it's day. Watched it with my friends and we laughed so hard.....

It can be found in it's entirety on youtube.

C -

[Guest Jamie61]

Watching the ESPN film Renee. If she hadn't decided to return to the tennis court, I would have not known at that time, that there were other transgender people in the world. That information came to me at a crucial time.

Jamie

[Guest Kenna Dixon]

I just watched the 2013 film "Trans" on Amazon Prime and was surprised to find myself crying.

Apparently, it pushed some emotional buttons I had forgotten were there. I especially remember one person describing her life as being in black-and-white before she came to terms with her gender issue. I often tell people that I see my early years only in black-and-white snapshots.

[Guest Kenna Dixon]

I just watched the 2013 film "Trans" on Amazon Prime and was surprised to find myself crying.

I forgot to mention that the Laura's Playground web site makes a brief appearance in the film.

[Guest]

TransAmerica

Just managed to get a copy at the local library before Christmas.

Must've watched it at least six times.

The one "scene" which hit home every time is when Bree is going in for her GRS.

I can't help but think that I should be the one going in for the surgery.

Must be the HRT and my second puberty.

A highly recommended movie for any one.

Huggs,

Joann

I reenacted the bath tub scene after I healed up and could take a bath. I raised the water level in the tub with all my tears of joy.