Against a Trans Narrative (2008)

• 74%
• 2008
• Jules Rosskam

"Against a Trans Narrative" primarily functions as a dialog - between friends, cultures and generations - addressing issues of representation, identity-formation, and the various forces that act together to build (or dismantle) communities. Specifically, the film analyzes the construction of trans-masculine communities inside the larger cultural framework. What forms of regulation, self or otherwise, must we partake in to be part of a community, and at what cost? The goal of the video is not to present a cohesive image of trans-masculinity because such a task is impossible, perhaps even irresponsible. The goal is to instigate conversations amongst feminists, queers, transfolks, and anyone else invested in radically shifting the ways in which we construct personal and historical narratives. Sitting somewhere between fiction, nonfiction and experimental film genres, the film is as fragmented and complicated as its subject matter. The audience is presented with disparate narratives, home videos, dramatic reenactments, poetry, and round table conversations where people discuss their reactions to the issues presented in the film, and yet it all flows seamlessly. One can see the influences of Marlon Riggs' "Tongues Untied" and Jean Rouch's "Chronicle of a Summer" both at work here. In the spirit of all great experimental films, the audience is asked to do the work of meaning making. There is no main character, no happy ending, and certainly no one position taken by the filmmaker or the films participants. against a trans narrative is striking in its endeavor to speak to the same communities it represents, but through its integrity, can resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to reconcile their identity with the communities they come from/belong to.