Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later

Trailer.

Available Summary:

Immersive and sensorial, Beyond The Aggressive: 25 Years Later revisits four of the original subjects from Daniel Peddle’s groundbreaking 2005 film The Aggressives — a seminal documentary centering masculine-presenting people of color assigned female at birth. The now-iconic Kisha, Trevon, Octavio, and Chin are back, sharing an array of their triumphs and challenges, including: pursuing dreams in the arts, surviving the experience of being held in ICE detention, reuniting with estranged children, deciding whether to start families of their own, and seeking gender-affirming healthcare.

Through the voices of today’s queer BIPOC, who felt represented and inspired by The Aggressives, the new film also delves into how much the language, culture and visibility of the transgender, non-binary and gender-nonconforming community has evolved, and grapples with the many complexities of gender identity, expectations and expression. All combined, these intimate stories and diverse testimonials reveal compelling insights into the queer experience and paint a deeply moving portrait of four trailblazing heroes.

-The Collaborative.

Jack's Summary:

Overall, this is a very beautiful follow-up to The Aggressives.

I was curious whether this documentary would acknowledge harmful rhetoric in the first film, particularly Marquise Vilsón's comments about straight trans men being "dykes with a complex". I was disappointed that this was not addressed, regardless of the fact that Vilsón does not feature in Beyond The Aggressives. While I wholeheartedly celebrate the interviewees who talk about finding validation and representation in the first documentary, some straight trans men who only date straight women (the target of Vilsón's mockery) will have felt invalidated and erased when watching The Aggressives. No room is made for the experiences of such men, let alone accountability for reducing a whole sexuality and gender identity to being a "complex".

That being said, the issues which are explored in this film are truly important. Kisha, the only interviewee who does not identify as a trans man, is shown lovingly celebrating the newer generations of queer and trans people, mourning her mother, and making beautiful art about her ex-lovers. The impact of being closeted as a girl is discussed, as well as the subsequent improvement to her mental health when she came out as gay.

Octavio begins the documentary saying that, if not for having a son, he would have transitioned. He discusses getting pregnant at only fifteen, his son being taken away from him, their eventual reunion, and not wanting to disrupt his son's life by being a trans man. However, as the film progresses, he grows into his identity, and his son does end up supporting him. Octavio explains that, during the first documentary, he avoided coming out as a trans man because he faced homelessness, and admits that he was always dysphoric about having breasts. During Beyond The Aggressives, he takes testosterone and has top surgery, also saying that he values having lived as a woman because he can relate to women more.

Trevon, who also mentions potentially identifying as non-binary, begins the documentary unsure whether he wants top surgery or not, and by the end says that he is happy with his body. He discusses his past infidelity, relationship with his girlfriend, desire for a family, and other deeply personal subjects. Partway through the documentary, he was informed that he likely had cervical cancer; he tried to have a hysterectomy, but he was unable to book the procedure at a facility where he knew that he would be safe. A significant amount of time later, he luckily was told that he simply had some "abnormal cells," not cancer, but this story could have ended far differently. His girlfriend's struggle with body dysmorphia, resulting in extensive surgeries and relationship strain, becomes evident by the end of the documentary.

Most heartbreaking of all, in my opinion, were the segments focusing on Chin Tsui, a survivor of human trafficking whose situation was significantly worsened by ICE confusing him with someone else. These segments also showed that the documentary-maker, Daniel Peddle, did actually give a damn about his subjects. After Chin was detained by ICE, Peddle and his team found a pro-bono immigration attorney for him. This attorney was able to get one of Chin's old convictions vacated, after which the Transgender Law Center took on Chin's case and fought for him to be released. He eventually was, after developing post-traumatic stress disorder from being kept in solitary confinement for nineteen months. Seeing Chin and Peddle embrace, seeing Chin's family advocating for him and reuniting with him, is genuinely wondrous.

When the documentary ends, Chin is shown walking from his place of employment (a kitchen) to the bench where he takes his breaks. He has had top surgery, is making enough money to support himself and live in an apartment, and is taking care of his father as he himself approaches his 50th birthday. He says that these are the best days of his life, that he is a man, and he doesn't need a label to define who he is. This beautiful conclusion is all the more fantastic because of Chin's earlier interview, after being released, when he discussed having no dreams for the future, struggling with trauma, and just living day-by-day. I'm so glad Peddle became involved in Chin's life again, twenty-five years after first filming Chin in The Aggressives.