I heard a lot of good things about this movie so I decided to give it a whirl though I can't claim to be a fan of Argentinean cinema nor too wild about 'controversial' subjects but in spite of an appalling soundtrack - and I caught it in a top-of-the-line multiplex - its ultimate sensitivity won me over. Apparently the first-time director Lucia Puenzo is the daughter of a well-known (presumabmly domestic) Argentinian director and the fact that she is female may have something to do with the delicate way she handles the story of a fifteen year old hermaphrodite facing parental pressure to opt for one sex or the other and sign up for the applicable surgery. To everyone's credit the film avoids the almost obligatory tragic ending in such cases usually involving suicide or 'accidental' death and thus resulting in a 'clean' ending; far from it; in this case the person involved opts to go through life just as he/she is and deal with each problem as it occurs. Not for everyone, of course, but a brave film that deserves to find its audience.
Review of XXY
