Transgender, Genderqueer & Gender-Bending Films

List creator: ibenjamin Created on: July 5, 2004 - 1:04 PM PDT Description: Some of these are films about women or men who just happen to be transsexual. Others are ludicrous gender-bending comedies. Some are sad, some are moving... some are unrealistic and offensive. All of them deal with gender in a way that most movies don't.

show images/hide images

	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	Just One of the Guys (1985)
A high school girl passes as a boy at a neighboring school to try to win a journalism award. Like most mainstream gender-bending movies, the character is a charicature and the ending is disappointing... But it's such an 80's classic it's fun to watch.
	Southern Comfort (2001)			Not Rated
Incredibly beautiful and sad... A devastating documentary about a transman in the south who is surrounded by friends and family as he is dying of ovarian cancer because doctors refused to treat him because he was trans.
	Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
This is a great film from France. The filmmaking is colorful and beautiful. It's about an adorable little child who is determined they are a girl despite the close-minded reactions of her family and neighbors who insist she is a boy. Happy ending.
	Out of the Blue (1981)
A Dennis Hopper film about a young, butch, punk-rock girl trying to survive in a dysfunctional family. This is not a feel-good movie, but it's one of few portrayals of a butch female character on film, and it has a great Neil Young soundtrack.
	By Hook or By Crook (2001)			Not Rated
A genderqueer buddy movie. The gender identities of the 2 main characters are irrelevant-- Maybe they are FTM, maybe they are butch dykes... You won't really care. It's about poverty, mental illness, transphobia... & most of all, friendship.
	Different for Girls (1996)
Two students at a boys' boarding school in England meet on the street as adults, and one is now a woman. I saw this a long time ago but remember liking it.
	Venus Boyz (2002)			Not Rated
A documentary about drag kings, some of whom are transgender. Gives way too much air-time to Del LaGrace Volcano (retch!) and not enough to some of the others, such as Storme Weber. One of a kind, but not particularly impressive.
	To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Yeah okay, so it's just a silly Hollywood drag flick. But I enjoyed it because it was a road trip movie in which they confront intolerance and homophobia along their journey, all while looking quite fabulous.
	Pink Flamingos (1973)
John Waters. What more can I say? If you love Divine and aren't easily grossed out, you will appreciate this bizarre and hilarious film.
	All About My Mother (1999)
More than anything, this is a film about being a woman. The women in this Pedro Almodovar film are trans and non-trans, and they connect and support eachother in Barcelona.
	Normal (2003)			Not Rated
A sometimes maddening, sometimes touching story of the coming out process of a middle-aged trans woman living in a small town in the midwest.
	Boys Don't Cry (1999)
I wasn't going to include this movie because I hated it. However, it is indeed one of few on-screen portrayals of a transman. It is brutal, tragic and totally heart-wrenching... but some will find it worth seeing. Based on true events.
	Victor/Victoria (1982)
Julie Andrews plays a dashing man who makes a big splash as a very fabulous drag queen, all because she couldn't get a gig as a Woman.
	Some Like It Hot (1959)			Not Rated
Jack Lemmon & Tony Curtis in drag, co-starring with Marilyn Monroe! A great classic film with 50's-style gender-bending.
	Being John Malkovich (1999)
While definitely not a queer or trans movie, a female character falls in love with another woman while she is inhabiting John Malkovich's body... and impregnates her. An interesting scenario not often seen on film.
	Set It Off (1996)
Queen Latifah does a great job playing a very butch dyke in this movie. One of very few butch dyke characters in the movies. Of course it has a tragic ending... Cause butches always have to kill themselves or be murdered in the end (grrrr).
	Flawless (1999)
Robert De Niro stars as a straight man recovering from a stroke seeking voice lessons from his trans neighbor. It ain't a pretty process, but it's almost feel-good at the end. At least, for the straight man.
	Better Than Chocolate (1999)
A lesbian movie, one of the side-stories is about a trans and a non-trans woman getting together. Includes a memorable performance of an excellent song called "I'm Not a Fucking Drag Queen."
	The Cockettes (2002)
A documentary about a free-spirited hippie drag queen troupe in pre-AIDS (1960s/70s) San Francisco
	La Cage Aux Folles (1978)
The original French film on which The Birdcage was based, about a gay man and his genderqueer lover.
	Osama (2003)
A film from Afghanistan in which a young girl passes as a boy to go to work to support his/her family. We'll write more when we've seen it!
	Beautiful Boxer (2004)			Not Rated
A beautiful Thai film about a transgender (MTF) boxer. Violent and stunning.
	Orlando (1992)