By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Eric Schaffer
Starring: Elvis Nolasco | Naté Bova | Rami Malek | Stephen Tyrone Williams | Zaraah Abrahams
Country: united_states
Year: 2015
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3007302/combined
Kyle says: “When did movies with transgender leading characters become so mainstream as to skirt conventional narrative sentimentality? The aptly titled BOY MEETS GIRL is a delicately detailed, beautifully told story that manages to be both engaging and questioning about Ricky (Michelle Hendley), a young man transitioning into a young woman, facing the usual problems of adolescence with a few dozen additional ones thrown into the mix. Ricky has a big heart and huge ambitions, with a flair for dress design but a lack of resources to move away from her stifling small town Kentucky environment to the big city of New York to pursue a design career. This special time in her life includes intimacy with Francesca (Alexandra Turshen), her new female friend who is equally surprised by the feelings their meeting arouses, as well as her oldest and closest male friend Robby (Michael Welch), who discusses with her the differences between male and female sexuality without fully clarifying his own. Francesca is engaged to David (Michael Galante), who is a local hero for fighting with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, but also the only person who identifies Ricky as ‘thing’ and ‘faggot’, suggesting there is more to his contempt than he is sharing. This film deserves the characterization of ‘sex positive’; it is also a rare opportunity to reframe the conventional wisdom about ideas of femininity and masculinity. Kudos to writer/director Eric Schaeffer, and to the memorable performances. 4 cats
“Seen Tuesday, August 11, 2015, on Netflix, New York.”
Thom says: “There are very few films that make an impact on me like this one did. It’s not that the production values are top-notch, nor is the acting all that special except for one exception, nor is the script of the highest quality, but the thinking I did after watching this film about transgender love was entirely profound. Yes, I’ve seen a various number of films about transgender people, notably BOYS DON’T CRY, ‘Orange is the New Black (television), THE DANISH GIRL, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, TRANSAMERICA, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH, etc. but this film had a simple sincerity about it that transcended the oddity of the story making a strong case for love for love sake.
“Ricky was born a boy in her small Southern town but has always identified as a girl, but, while she is medically on her way to
becoming a woman she hasn’t made the surgery jump yet. She is excepted by her family and friends and most other people in her locale, making the film comparable to the excellent BIG EDEN, because of its idealistic nature. Ricky is fresh out of secondary school and wants to be admitted to F.I.T. She has her own adorable fashion blog and designs that gain her many fans. She’s spending a lazy summer at home waiting for her university acceptance along with her best friend Robby who’s been her guardian and supporter since early childhood. There’s a sweet Much Ado About Nothing theme going on between Ricky & Robby, although, of course, they don’t see it at all. She meets cute with a local rich girl (Francesca) whose fiance (David) is stationed in Afghanistan. They quickly bond and a romance actually blooms and is consummated, even after Ricky tells Francesca she is transgender. Robby is anti the affair, naturally not because he has a thing for Ricky, but because he knows it will end badly. Francesca’s dad, a local politician, is in some kind of stink, and he manages to return David early from his tour-of-duty so he can publicly ask Francesca for her hand in marriage. David is furious when he finds out about the affair, for more reasons than petty jealously, or his inability to understand it, as it turns out. That the whole thing is rather preposterous is very much a subjective point-of-view, and I was impressed at how much I had to advance to except it. Michelle Hendley is absolutely radiant as Ricky. With the current outrageous, heinous new laws in North Carolina & Arkansas this film resonates even stronger. 5 cats”