Real Boy

Shaleece Haas's PBS-aired documentary focuses on 19-year-old Bennett Wallace, an aspiring singer-songwriter raised in Pasadena, CA, who is transitioning to become a transgender male, which leads to a strained relationship with his mother Suzy. The film presents Bennett's pre-transition life as Rachel, who explains the gender switch by stating, “I am literally a boy with the wrong body parts.” But Suzy, who is struggling with the pain from a recent divorce, responds unsympathetically: “We all have that feeling that I am in the wrong body—I should be in Charlize Theron's body.” Bennett is also dealing with drug addiction and self-mutilation via cutting, which further complicates his life. But a mentorship from Joe Stevens, a transgender musician and a former addict, as well as friendship with a transgender teen named Dylan, helps provide stability in Bennett's world—and Dylan's mother offers emotional support to Suzy that ultimately proves valuable in restoring her relationship with her child. Filmed over a four-year period, Real Boy is presented with a remarkable degree of intimacy and sincerity; the difficult emotions experienced by Bennett and Suzy are often painful to watch, but their respective evolutions are handled in a graceful, dignified manner. A powerful documentary about transgender issues, this is highly recommended Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)