She's A Boy I Knew

Filmmaker Gwen (formerly Steve) Haworth provides a first-person account of the transition from male to female in She's a Boy I Knew, which incorporates candid reactions from the people closest to Haworth, along with additional interviews, home movies, photos, and animated sequences. Haworth's ex-wife, Malgosia, says she wanted to throw up when Steve confessed that he had always wanted to be a woman, while his parents thought it was a joke. Haworth's sisters also admit that they didn't see it coming because Steve kept his feelings hidden for so long. No one remembers the hockey-playing youth as being feminine in looks or actions (after the transition, Haworth identified as a lesbian). Haworth's friend Roari appears to have been the most accepting from the outset, although he admits that the idea of plastic surgery made him uncomfortable. In due time, Malgosia supported Haworth's decision, but all the members of Haworth's social circle have their unique reasons for both supporting her and fearing for her future. Although she never presents her journey as an easy one, noting significant losses along the way, Haworth's film serves as a happy corrective to the tragic narratives depicted in films such as Paris Is Burning and Boys Don't Cry, where things don't turn out as well for their transgendered protagonists. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)