Not to start off on a negative note but making this list did bum me out a little. I both wanted and expected there to be more films with queer trans female leads. Alas, we’re still in the early days of emerging trans cinema. I do think we’re getting towards a point where we’re going to see more films with queer, trans leads. I hope very much that I will be able to update this list in a few years with an additional six or more films. At this point, maybe we’re not there yet but let’s take a look at the six films I could find that do feature a trans WLW as a lead character.
1. Boy Meets Girl
I wanted to start off with Boy Meets Girl because it actually stars a transgender actress. So already the representation here is better than the following three entries on this list. Admittedly, this is also the most heterosexual film in this list. Boy Meets Girl is about Ricky, a young transgender woman who lives in a small town. Ricky and her best friend Robbie should be dating but aren’t. When beautiful rich girl Francesca comes into their life, Ricky finds a new friend and new romantic interest. Ricky and Francesca experiment with their sexuality together before ultimately ending the movie with male partners. Boy Meets Girl features a great transgender lead character. Ricky has a personality and interests beyond being trans. She has a fantastic, dry sense of humour and some great laugh out loud one-liners in the movie. And even though the film ended on a heterosexual note, that relationship was built up well enough that I was happy to see Ricky and Robbie end up together.
Boy Meets Girl can be rented on YouTube, Google Play and is available for rental or purchase on Amazon.
2. A Soap
A Soap’s tagline and marketing campaign is about two characters living a life that is equal to or wilder than a soap opera. The two characters in question are Charlotte, a woman who owns a beauty clinic and has recently broke up with her boyfriend and Veronica, who is in the process of transitioning. Using minimal settings, A Soap focuses on the leads characters and growing relationship between them. Be warned though, the film is also billed as a tragicomedy so I’m not sure this one will have a happy ending.
You can watch A Soap on Amazon.
3. The Danish Girl
From the director of Cats comes the most well-known movie to date to featuring a trans WLW protagonist. I haven’t seen the Danish Girl yet. I’m put off seeing it knowing that I’m going to have so many thoughts about its transgender representation. The Danish Girl was a prestige film. It was made for a large audience and more specifically, it was also made to appeal to film festival crowds and voters for film awards. This does mean that the target audience for this film is definitely cisgender and probably over a certain age. Still, the film did rack up a bunch of academy awards. Whatever there is to say about the writing or casting Eddie Redmayne in the lead, The Danish Girl does have a beautiful score, set design and costumes. It’s easily the film on this list with the highest budget. If nothing else, it looks the prettiest.
The Danish Girl can be rent or bought on Amazon.
4. Laurence Anyways
Made by Canadian auteur Xavier Dolan, Laurence Anyways follows a decade in the life of Laurence who comes out as transgender. A major subplot of the story is Laurence’s incredibly passionate on-again off-again relationship with her lover Frederique. The possible downside of the film as a piece of transgender representation is that Larence does spend a great deal of the film presenting as male. On the other hand, that’s still a reality for a lot of trans people. Additionally, Xavier Dolan is an excellent director and the film is visually stunning.
Depending on your country of origin, Laurence Anyways might be free to stream on Popcornflix. It is also free to watch with Amazon Prime.
5. Elvis & Madona
Elvis and Madona is a Brazilian film. It is a love story between butch lesbian Elvira who often goes by Elvis and transgender Madona. While there’s an obligatory one scene where Elvis has issues with Madonna being transgender, that’s not really a sticking point in their relationship. Before this scene, Elvis was not just overtly attracted to Madonna but openly flirting and encouraging the relationship. And after this scene, all of Elvis’s worries about this issue also vanish. The major issue with their relationship is that Madonna has some unsavory, criminal acquaintances who make their lives unsafe. Honestly, Elvis and Madona is a bit of an uneven film. The best part about the film is the romance. This is an odd relationship that works because of the chemistry the actors have. Especially on Elvis’s part, she has such clear desire for Madonna and that’s great to see.
Elvis and Madona is available on Kanopy and is currently available to stream for free on Amazon Prime.
6. Bit
Bit hasn’t seen a wide release yet so I haven’t seen it. I’m fairly certain this one will end up being my favourite film in this list. Why? Because it’s about vampires. Bit stars transgender actress Nicole Maines of Supergirl fame. The film follows her character, Laurel as she moves from a small town to Los Angeles. Soon after reaching the City of Angels, Laurel spends the night with a beautiful woman. Said woman of course is revealed to be a vampire and wants to offer Laurel a place in her vampire gang of women who dole out vigilante justice to shitty men. When Laurel asks about how the female vampire gang if they have any issues with her being transgender the response from the leader is that “it never even crossed my mind.”
Bit has yet to see a wide release having so far only played at film festivals. Keep your eyes peeled for this one to get a release date.
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