07-06-18 Transamerica (2005)

Seen: June 18th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 8

This is a film with a very strong premise. It's almost an angle instead of being a true premise. A strong premise is good thing. It gives a story a place to launch from, a place of power to begin its journey. The problem with a strong premise it that it takes a strong story as well to succeed as a film. Merely having a strong premise is not enough.

Transamerica delivers in spectacular fashion.

In fact, the film spends the preponderance of its time trying to ignore or avoid the premise. Like Bree, the film is interested most in just being itself. It doesn't dwell on the obvious. It doesn't belabor its own premise, but chooses to largely ignore it in preference to exploring the real story, which is that of a parent trying to connect with a child.

Like many road movies, this is about personal journeys as well as physical ones. It's almost cliche in that fashion. It's a tried and true conceit to place two people of wildly differing character in a car, make them spend several days together and watch how they and their attitudes change. Inevitably, some sort of transformation takes place.

Bree's transformation during this journey is the heart of the film, not what waits for her in LA.

There's lots of interesting parallels and juxtapositions here. We can draw connections between Toby and Bree and their journeys on many different levels. This is a rich film, one that can be appreciated on several different levels. Thinking about it now makes we want to watch it again, which is rare for me.

Above all this story is honest. It handles all of its subject matter with care and reverence. It works hard to be true without becoming maudlin, saccharine or sensational. It simply doesn't compromise, and that's a credit to the writer/director and cast.

Performances here are critical and well done. Huffman's transformation is remarkable. The sheer work she's put into this part is impressive and the results stunning. Zegers does a decent job with a tough role. To be honest, I though something was missing there, but I couldn't tell you what. The rest of the characters are very well cast. Fionnula Flanagan is remarkable and I always enjoy Graham Greene's work.

See this one. It's not about being transgendered, it's about being and continually becoming human, regardless of what else you may or may not be. And we need more of these stories.

The Good: An honest story and great performances

The Bad: Fear in all its forms

The Ugly: Being something you're not