8 must-watch films that blazed a trail for trans stories on screen
Trans film has a long and prolific history. (Criterion/Canva)
Despite what transphobes claim, trans cinema is real, ancient and very good.
Comedies, dramas, psychological thrillers – there’s nothing trans cinematographers haven’t dipped their toes into. While trans cinema isn’t perfect, the breadth of representation means there’s something for pretty much everyone.
Here are just a few of the best and most profound trans films to watch if Golden Globes winner Emilia Pérez, which has divided audiences for its absurdist musical portrayal of a transitioning cartel boss, isn’t quite your thing.
Paris is Burning
To many, Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning is the greatest film they’ve never seen. It’s a sometimes difficult watch, albeit an important one, especially given its cultural position as one of the first major depictions of Black and Brown trans people.
The 1990 documentary delves into drag ball culture, following a diverse set of gay, Latino, Black and transgender people as they fight and struggle through the oppressive streets of New York. It deals with harsh but real issues, such as the Aids pandemic, class disparity and the human cost of bigotry.
However, through all the dirt and grime that pollutes the tragedy of the documentary’s subjects, it still sits as a powerful celebration of not just the defiance of the LGBTQ+ community, but the positivity that we can bring in the face of adversity.
Pink Flamingos
Any John Waters film requires some heavy context before diving in. This purposeful dumpster-fire of a cult classic is not on this list because it’s a reverent take on the trans experience. It’s here because it’s bats**t crazy and runs with that knowledge to the ends of the Earth.
Starring the always-crass Divine, as a serial criminal dubbed the “filthiest person alive” by tabloids across America, the story is a sequence of grotesque scenes that can scarcely be described. Be warned, this film is vile.
But what makes it captivating is that its vulgarity is undeniably inclusive. Every person in Pink Flamingos is equally as disgusting and insipid as the next, including the trans character, who evades a mugging by flashing the would-be assailant.
Some might argue against the inclusion of this film, considering some of the shocking things it shows, and themes a majority of viewers are pretty much guaranteed to find offensive or obscene, but that’s why it’s an excellent piece of cinema… for those who can stomach it.
Media is, in large part, an exercise in experiencing emotions that we otherwise couldn’t in our day-to-day lives, and, rest assured, you will leave Pink Flamingos feeling a lot of emotions.
Funeral Parade of Roses
Toshio Matsumoto’s 1969 drama is one of those films you have to prepare yourself to watch, not only because of its abstract storytelling but also the way it tackles themes of how drugs and sex influenced the underground queer scene of 60s Tokyo and beyond.
The drama flutters between fiction and non-fiction in a way that feels dream-like, if it weren’t for the heavy themes. It primarily follows Eddie, who works at a local gay bar owned by a drug dealer, with whom he has an affair.
It’s difficult to describe, and even more difficult to convey why Funeral Parade of Roses stands as such a fierce and brave pillar of LGBTQ+ cinema. Watch it if you can!
Synecdoche, New York
Synecdoche, New York is not explicitly a trans film, but it totally is. The psychological drama is primarily about regret and how the desire to right past wrongs retracts from the fact that it’s never too late to fix things.
The film follow theatre director Caden Cotard, played by Hunger Games and The Talented Mr Ripley star Philip Seymour Hoffman, at a point in his life when things have begun to unravel and as he endeavours to recreate a replica of New York in an abandoned warehouse for a stage production. Slowly, he begins to find solace in his magnum opus, using it to fix the mistakes he made throughout his life.
The film effectively becomes Caden grappling with his sense of regret, with a hefty portion of that being around his gender identity. The film’s powerful ending (spoiler alert) literally has Caden letting go of his persona in his now-sprawling recreation and giving it to the role of an actress, who takes over as director of the play. It also stars Brokeback Mountain‘s Michelle Williams.
Dog Day Afternoon
Sidney Lumet’s 1975 Oscar-winning thriller seldom needs any introduction. Starring Al Pacino as Sonny, the film is loosely based on the true story of John Wojtowicz, who tried to rob a Brooklyn bank to pay for the gender-reassignment surgery of his wife, Elizabeth Eden. Talk about allyship.
Not only is the film a masterclass in creating an authentic and nail-bitingly intense hostage-negotiation drama, but also its legacy is felt throughout Hollywood, having been referred to in numerous shows and films, from The Simpsons to Supernatural.
The Matrix
It doesn’t matter what right-wing, “red pill” morons say, The Matrix is a trans film and always has been. It is so trans that the Wachowski sisters, who directed it, both transitioned years after its 1999 release.
Themes such as the actualisation of one’s true identity through taking a pill, which some have theorised represents gender-affirming care, have catapulted the film into the cultural zeitgeist as a pillar of trans cinema.
Speaking about the transness of the film, Lily Wachowski said she believed the theories were “cool” because they remain an “excellent reminder that art is never static”.
The People’s Joker
This is a controversial film in every sense of the word: Not only is the parody flick a perfect lesson on how not to breach copyright law – having been dropped from the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022 – but also its production quality is deliberately poor and trashy, in a way that is certain to prompt some people to switch off.
Regardless, there’s something so charming about Vera Drew’s debut film that it almost supersedes any expectations of how a film should look or feel.
The film, which calls itself the “illegal comic book movie” – its setting will be familiar to Batman fans – tells the story of an unnamed protagonist who grapples with gender-identity issues while numbing herself with irony and the fictional inhalant “smylex.” It’s a story that, despite the artificial gunk of its presentation, feels genuine to Drew’s experiences as a trans woman.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Oh look, another film about trans people starring The Matrix‘s Hugo Weaving!
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is as joyfully madcap as its name suggests. The film follows two drag queens and a trans woman as they travel through the Australian desert on a bus to reach Alice Springs, where they are set to perform a drag show, meeting several strange characters along the way.
Legendary in every shape and form, gay director Stephan Elliott’s film is a Mad Max-esque cult classic of queer cinema that is mandatory watching for anyone with an LGBTQ+ bone in their body.
Just remember, Priscilla is the name of the bus not any of the characters.
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