-Allison McCulloch

Born a girl … so rude!

Framing Agnes is a powerful documentary about transgender men and women’s experiences to make sure that the younger trans generation knows they are not alone. Jules Gill-Peterson talks about how she got a PhD in order to have the qualifications to do the research to get what she wanted.

The documentary also covers UCLA doctor Harold Garfinkel’s interviews with several transgender patients. Not trusting the UCLA doctors, the filmmakers dug deeper into the archives. Footage was not available, so they re-enacted actual interviews and moments with transgender voices from the past.

The Q&A was great. Moderator Ash Hoyle noted how it crossed over between fiction and non-fiction. Actress Jen Richards expounded on the idea and asked about who gets to decide what a thing is ultimately: whether it’s a narrative film or documentary. This hybrid felt very welcoming in telling these stories in the best way possible. Documentaries have been utilizing recreations for awhile now. It felt very honest and representative.

Top prize at Sundance 2022 (Next Category)

Rating: 10/10

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