(Please forgive me if this and all other reviews done today are rambling and weird. I'm sick.)
The Movie: Transamerica, directed by Duncan Tucker
Recommendation: Me
Reason: Queer film is a strange beast, and Huffman got a nomination for this.
Queer film is weird. Try to think of a single movie featuring a transgendered, transvestite, gay, lesbian or bisexual character in the last...oh...forever that didn't feature that character coming to a tragic end, or exploit the queerness of the characters for tittilation or comedy value. Brokeback Mountain, Boys Don't Cry, etcetera, etcetera. Transamerica isn't as transgressive as many of the other mainstream films in the catalogue, but something about a genetic-woman playing a transwoman still doesn't sit right with me. It's a small nitpick, since Felicity Huffman handles her character with a modicum of taste and a heap of respect for her journey. I can't speak to how 'real' Bree's lifestyle, affectations and eventual transformation are, but Huffman's performance at least made it seem close.
This film did get an Oscar nod for Huffman's turn, but I have to admit to being at least as interested in Kevin Zeger's layered work as Bree's son, Toby. His part was quite complex, the sort of thing most young male actors wouldn't undertake both for its complexity and for the amount of comfort with distinctly not-straight situations he needed to have for the part. I'm a fan of him as a supporting actor, and I will be watching for him in the future. His performance here was vulnerable and almost painful at times, but he developed a real sense of character.
The movie was alright. Nothing too spectacular, nothing horribly awful. The costuming was well done, managing to convey a lot about the characters. I suppose the real keyword for the movie would be 'subtle'. So yes. Not great, not awful.
-32/365 down, 333/365 to go
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