Documentaries, Shows, Films, Interviews, and Games.

If you’re looking for representation of Black trans men, this series is a must! I’ve watched the first episode so far, and it’s already clear to me that this casual, chat-focussed documentary series offers dialogue and insights usually lacking in FTM representation. I was particularly heartened to see that Ja'Mel A Ware and his partner Alphonso Mills are among the cast. Ware discusses carrying Mills' child as a trans man, what it's like to be HIV-positive, and the amount that he and his husband have had to defend their family. He talks about the importance of having a queer-identifying OBGYN who fought for him, the impact of untrained receptionist staff on his birthing experience, and the pregnancy scares along the way.

While I'm yet to watch the rest of the documentary series, I really identify with the language used by interviewees in episode one. I describe myself as being "born female", similarly to interviewee Nick Devereux, and have found a lot of freedom and validation in that description. Speaking that way about myself has allowed me to accept my female-to-male transsexual identity and be at peace with my female past, whereas labels like AFAB didn't really resonate with me on a personal level (although I absolutely recognise the value of such a label for the community). The great thing about documentaries such as this is that the speakers are real trans men who are using their own words, resulting in a diversity of self-identification and labelling.

In a confronting, intensely sad interview, Shon Jackson discusses being molested by his brother, and the trauma he still endures as a result. We live in a world where men, including Black and trans men, struggle to seek support and speak out after experiencing sexual violence. Recognising that, I'm so thankful to Jackson for speaking his truth. If watching Jackson's interview triggers any bad memories for you, I recommend checking out 1in6.org, which is a site dedicated to supporting male survivors. You're not alone.

For any religious/spiritual viewers, you may connect with the documentary's discussions of the bible, religion, and faith. As an atheist, I was pretty unmoved, although I do love the community solidarity and personal liberation the interviewees have found within their religion.

If you are located in the USA, or have a USA VPN, you can watch the series via the this link.

I haven't watched the rest of the show's episodes, so I'm unable to forewarn any further potentially-distressing content. Proceed with that in mind.

Don’t get your hopes up; the trans man pictured is a very minor character, whose touching and meaningful contribution is horribly overshadowed by the rest of the film. Serge, this minor character, is played by a trans actor named Kay Garnellen. He speaks very briefly with the protagonist about his experiences of fatherhood, pregnancy, and dysphoria, and has only one other (non-speaking) scene.

The protagonist, contrastingly, is a trans man named Eddy, played by actress Catherine Frot... and not, in my opinion, particularly well. What frustrated me most about this film was the squandering of a very worthwhile concept, and the failure to treat the story of an older trans man with appropriate respect.

The casting of an actress to play Eddy reinforces the idea that trans men are just deluded women playing dress-up. Eddy supposedly transitions on testosterone throughout the film, but depictions of his facial hair are less convincing than the getups I've seen drag kings perfect with far less money than this movie had access to. This film is not a realistic depiction of what testosterone does to the body, of how a man looks and sounds when transitioning hormonally. It's not convincing or impressive. Beyond that, much of the comedy in this film is derived from Eddy being mercilessly mocked by a transphobic, misogynistic, homophobic husband whose comeuppance doesn't begin to compensate for what a total twat he is.

From the trailer, I got the feeling that this film would've been more appropriate about a decade ago and, what d'you know, I was right. There are some enjoyable moments, but not nearly enough to make this a recommended watch. This film could have redeemed itself if Eddy had been shown bonding with, communicating with, and seeking the insights of trans men who are further along in their journeys; trans men who could have taught him more about testosterone, surgery, and male socialisation. But Eddy doesn't seek out other trans men with any enthusiasm, and so all the film has to offer trans men is his deeply flawed storyline plus the token contributions of a couple FTM blokes.

Older trans men deserve better stories than this.

The synopsis is as follows: "This documentary begins one year before the fall of Kabul. Jordan Bryon is seen coming out as transgender, and gets his first testosterone shot from a doctor in Afghanistan. The film shows the fighting and aftermath of the Taliban's 2021 offensive, which Bryon covers for international news outlets. Later, Bryon together with Afghan journalist Farzad Fetrat (Teddy) begin to travel with a group of Taliban fighters and document their lives. Here, Transition shows Bryon's struggle with the risk of being outed, which could have severe consequences. Bryon also struggles with his relationship with the Taliban fighters, whom he fraternizes with while being aware of their views and deeds. He becomes particularly close to one Talib called Mirwais. He is also seen with Iranian–Canadian photojournalist Kiana Hayeri. They support each other emotionally, and plan Bryon's mastectomy together. Bryon goes to Iran for his mastectomy."

You can view the trailer here. I have not yet watched this documentary. I hope it provides insights into the experiences, joys, and struggles of local trans and gender-diverse people, such as Iranian trans men. From what I have read online, though, it seems to mainly focus on the experiences of Bryon.

When I found out that the protagonist of this film (Tosiek) is played by a model, I wasn’t surprised. I’ve got nothing against Alin Szewczyk, who themself is non-binary, but too much of this movie is a cross between a film clip and a modelling reel. It has almost no substance beyond looking pretty.

One scene is simply the thin, androgynous protagonist scrolling through Instagram and looking at thin, androgynous models while his thin peers take selfies at their lockers. It's very boring very quickly. There is no body diversity or alternative expressions of androgyny. Too many scenes look like they were filmed on a runway, or as part of a fashion line promotion. It’s hard to believe the characters are average schoolkids when they’re so idealistically beautiful and professionally styled.

A bigger issue is the fact that Tosiek is utterly unlikeable, and much of the story involves him reaping what he sows. Not all trans characters have to be likeable, but with Tosiek being thoroughly dissatisfying and the writing equally so, it's hard to find a reason to watch Fanfic at all. The film opens with him vomiting in a school toilet (a particularly gross scene), after which viewers find out that he has been stealing and irregularly taking Sertraline, yet he somehow doesn't connect his symptoms with the fact that he has been abusing someone else's prescription medication and exceeding dosage limits. His nausea and mood swings must be everyone else's fault, not his own. He is cruel and dismissive towards a classmate who is openly supportive of both his gender identity and his fanfiction, causing her to abandon and bully him. He mistakes occasional flirting for consent, and abruptly kisses a cis boy without asking first. He steals a classmate's bike, causing the classmate's abusive father to become angry. Determined to demonise a cis gay boy, he physically assaults him and hurts him quite severely. In all things, he is forgiven. His conflicts are magically resolved without the need for humility or apologies, certainly from his end. He never fully realises the role he has played in his own misery or (equally importantly) other people's distress.

I liked five things about this film. One, the casting of a trans actor, despite the overall quality of the movie. Two, the dad's involvement, particularly a scene where he shows Tosiek footage from his childhood and finally becomes supportive. Three, a scene where Tosiek affirms himself through open chest binding, which is a huge step forward from bandage binding in films. Four, a scene where Tosiek and a classmate lay together, comprising the only convincing manifestation of the film's promised "intense connection" between them. Five, Tosiek's gender euphoria when putting on a boy's clothes, which is similar to what happened to me.

Therein ends my positive experience with this movie.

I'm not even sure why it's called Fanfic. The film is at its best when it is trying (not always successfully) to flesh out Tosiek beyond the limits of his fanfiction imaginings. I get it, Tosiek affirms himself through fantasies, where he can be as androgynous and masculine as he wishes. But most of the movie isn't about fanfiction. It certainly doesn't warrant occupying the film's title.

The scene which sums up this movie's issues features Tosiek eating a bowl of noodles while a boy cuts his hair. Oh-so aesthetically pleasing, sure, but he was definitely munching on noodles with a side of hair clippings. Yum. This film is more concerned with looking pretty than being real.

This is ultimately just one trans bloke's review, and I'm sure many people enjoy this movie, so take my opinions with as big a grain of salt as you wish. I've heard that this film is popular with young gender-diverse people so, who knows, maybe I'm just too old to relate.

The synopsis is as follows: "Past and present collide when an Iranian American transman portals through the LGBTQ+ archive on a dizzying and erotic quest to unravel his own sexual desires." This film has not been released yet, but you can view its website here. I am really excited to see it!