I know I’m late to the game here, but I just saw the film XXY. I was reluctant to see it because I’ve seen way too many TV programs etc on intersex that just make me cringe and I tend to be nervous about most films that center on issues of gender or sexual variance for fear they’ll be either exploitative or strident. But when Ellen Feder told me to see it, I decided to check it out.
Wow.
XXY is a really stunning film on so many levels. It is a tender coming-of-age film that poignantly captures the struggles of growing into adolescence with an intersex condition. At its core, it’s a film about the desire to be accepted and loved just as one is and how others, but also we ourselves, prevent this from happening. It’s a quiet, complex, touching, and beautiful film that spends it time exploring the various relationships among the main character, Alex, and her parents, friends, and lovers, as well as Alex’s own internal struggles to accept and trust their love for her. And it’s also quite erotic exploring the deep fears and taboos around sex and sexuality. For such a soft film it has a huge emotional impact and like most good films, it raises more questions than it answers.
