Duncan Tucker
Transamerica

Bree (Felicity Huffman) is an educated and traditionalist (at times prudish) trans woman who is trying to juggle two jobs to pay for her gender reassignment surgery. A week before the long-awaited surgery, she discovers that she has a son, Toby (Kevin Zegers), a reckless and troubled seventeen-year-old with some issues with the law. Her psychotherapist insists that she resolve the situation with the young man before going through with the surgery.

Bree is desperate: she cares deeply about the operation—it has been the focus of her life, and now there's a risk it might all slip away because of a son she didn't even know existed (Bree's remark when the psychotherapist asks about the heterosexual relationship from which the boy was born is amusing: «it was such a tragically lesbian affair, I didn’t think it counted»). So, Bree, 'between a rock and a hard place,' sets off for New York. After posting bail, Toby is entrusted to her. He believes she is some kind of missionary affiliated with the church who helps troubled youth, and she does not miss the opportunity to conceal her true identity. Seeing the squalid and extremely impoverished conditions in which the boy lives (he resorts to prostitution to make a living), the woman is moved and decides to accompany him to California, where he intends to pursue a career as a porn star. Thus begins a long road trip across the country during which the two get to know each other, grow fond of each other, and often clash. Bree learns about Toby's difficult childhood, filled with abuse, and feels increasingly attached to him. On the other hand, Toby, who does not suspect the woman’s true identity, accidentally discovers her transgender condition and struggles to accept it, not so much because of the condition itself, but because he feels entitled to know everything about his new friend.

The film is set entirely on the road, with various amusing and touching episodes. The story is good, the direction is likewise. What is not convincing is the protagonist. Felicity Huffman as the trans woman is hardly believable: makeup, wigs, and costumes do little to make her convincing. Her forcibly effeminate movements make her a classic caricature of the 'sissy,' not to mention her voice: rather than sounding like a trans woman, Huffman (and the Italian dubber) seem completely voiceless. I believe that for a film like this, Tucker should have cast a man. Androgynous, thin, but still a man. The story is about a person who decides to undergo a transition well into adulthood, so hormones and surgery can do very little, and the person retains a low voice and male physique: Terence Stamp was far more believable as the trans woman Bernadette in the film 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,' both in terms of physique and movements and attitudes.

Returning to 'Transamerica', overall, the film is nice, and easy to watch. There are very entertaining scenes: especially the encounter with Stanley/Bree’s family of origin is a long gag where a formidable Fionnula Flanagan, in the role of Bree's mother, gives a fresh and amusing performance. Transsexualism is paradoxically only a marginal topic in this film. The more deeply explored themes are the relationship between parents and children, the difference between dream and reality, and the 'journey' each of us makes in our own lives. Had it been interpreted by a male actor, it could have been a beautiful film: the 'half-happy ending' with Toby who, as he said when he still did not know Bree's true identity, buys clothes that he thinks are nice and goes to surprise his father, is delightful and moving.

'Transamerica' is an entertaining film, but it loses a lot of its weight due to the protagonist's lack of credibility (and to think she was even overpraised: I wonder if the juries that awarded the prizes have ever actually met a true trans woman in their lives!) but with a beautiful soundtrack: among them, superb performances by Dolly Parton in «Travelin' Thru» and Lucinda Williams in «Like a Rose».