Just Charlie follows in the wake of fact-based films like Boys Don’t Cry and The Danish Girl, which featured transgender characters who attempted to live as their authentic selves. Unlike those films, however, Rebekah Fortune’s narrative feature isn’t a tragedy. Charlie (newcomer Harry Gilby) is a talented 14-year-old soccer player who presents as a boy to the world. His father Paul (Scot Williams), who wasn’t able to fulfill his own athletic aspirations, has transferred his dreams to his son. But while soccer unites father and son, Charlie is starting to strain against his gender identity. Stuck in Britain’s provincial Midlands, he can’t tell anyone that he would rather dress like his sister, Eve (Elinor Machen-Fortune), so he tries on her clothes in secret. When Paul catches him in the act, Charlie attempts to explain himself, but his father won’t hear it. Fortunately, his soccer coach, Mick (writer Peter Machen), offers support after he finds out what’s going on. Once Charlie’s mother (Patricia Potter) and Eve adjust to this new reality, Charlie meets with a therapist to prepare for the process of transitioning, although it takes longer for Charlie’s father and grandmother to accept the changes. Mick also arranges for Charlie to play on a girls’ soccer team, but not everyone accepts her. And when Charlie wears girls’ clothes to school, she finds herself more isolated than ever. Director Fortune continues to alternate between Charlie’s family, friends, and community, where confusion leads to fights, name-calling, and even a separation, but Charlie’s resolve never falters, and Gilby makes certain that every move is believable and sympathetic. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)
Just Charlie
Wolfe, 99 min., not rated, DVD: $26.99 Volume 33, Issue 3
Just Charlie
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