This film tells the true story of a young soldier that falls in love with a transgendered woman and the deadly consequences of their relationship.
Barry Winchell is the new kid in the military and is assigned a room with a seasoned soldier, Justin Fisher. Fisher convinces Winchell to attend a nightclub where drag queens and transgendered women perform. Barry is drawn to one of the performers, Calpernia Addams, and soon begins pursuing her. She's hesitant to allow the relationship to progress because Barry is a "normal straight boy" and she doesn't want to be hurt when he realizes what he's gotten himself into. As the story continues, Fisher becomes more and more unstable as his relationship with Barry deteriorates. Simultaneously, Barry and Calpernia become lovers. Soon, a young man named Calvin Glover joins Barry and Fisher's troop and it's apparent this guy is off his rocker just as much as Fisher is. Fisher takes this troubled youth under his wing and instigates an ongoing unease between the young man and Barry. Eventually, the tension escalates and ends in tragedy.
This film kept me thinking long after the credits rolled and I love that in a film. While listening to the commentary by the filmmakers, they said they intended to create an incredibly complex love story. They succeeded beautifully. In fact, the story was so complex that I don't even know where to start analyzing this movie. Actually, I don't think I will analyze it. I just want to bring this film to people's attention and then let it speak for itself.
All I will say is that I hope the film opens up people's minds to the concept of gender and sexuality. While watching the film, I didn't see a gay couple. I didn't see a man fall in love with another man or a man fall in love with a woman who used to be a man. I saw two people fall in love with each other. The gender soon became irrelevant as I grew to know these two human beings as individuals and as a couple.
Let me also mention the amazing actors. Troy Garity was great as Barry Winchell. I think he handled Barry's intricate sexuality beautifully with a mix of sincerity and grace. And Lee Pace was absolutely astounding as Calpernia Addams. First of all, I saw him a few weeks prior in the thriller Possession (starring the always delicious Sarah Michelle Gellar, which was the only reason why I saw that clunker in the first place) and in the film, he played a pretty bad dude. Muscular, macho and mean. And to then see him as a woman was a complete transformation and a testament to his skill as an actor. He sounded like a women. He moved like a woman. And it wasn't an over exaggerated caricature of a woman, either. It was natural. And as the film progressed, I forgot he was a man at all. Once again, it just went back to being about two people.
My favorite scene is when Barry and Calpernia are in a row boat in a pond. Barry asks Calpernia to sing to him and she does as he rows the boat. That moment was sweet, touching. And it just goes to show that we all want that. No matter who we are or who we love, we all want someone there with us to share those kind of peaceful, tender moments. We all want to love and be loved. And what's so wrong with that?
See this film. It was powerful, emotional and enlightening.
4 out of 5.
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