Talk:XXY
From mediaartiststudio
Film Discussion
Well, I guess someone has to break the ice on our critical commentary thread. So I will do it! I saw XXY last night and came away with a bunch of disparate impressions as well as some questions. First, I thought the film was successful on many counts especially in that way that the director, Lucía Puenzo managed to create a complex narrative that dealt very sensitively with gender identity and intersexuality. The mood and visual treatment was tortured; I found the town, the coast of Argentina, the two couples, the life portrayed to be nearly joyless. The narrative at times seemed ambiguious and I thought, perhaps this is a strategy used to keep the audience in the same ambiguous state as many of the characters. I thought the acting by Ines Efron (Alex), Martin Piroyansky (Alvaro) and the other young characters was especially notable, very credible and moving. Because I attended the screening with some other media faculty members I was able to ask some of them what they thought (a good strategy! always ask others to help). One said that she thought it was interesting that both mothers were so underdeveloped as characters. Another said that the shower scene contained "exquisite" tension. All agreed that the collective gasp in the audience when Alex squashed the beetle was surprising. I appreciated the skillful use of the edge of the frame and lighting to conceal what needed concealment. I found myself still puzzling about the film this morning.
by Sally 11:01AM on November 13, 2008
I also appreciated the ambiguity of this film. I appreciated how the sexual orientation of the young characters, especially Alvaro, was left up for discussion. What I found particularly compelling about this film was the young peoples relationship with their parents. It seemed like the hardest task was not accepting themselves for who they are, but gaining the acceptance from the parents, who, in turn, caused a lot of the self doubt. In the surprising scene toward the end when Alvaro's father told him he wasn't talented and made that commented that he thought he was a fag, it was clear that Alvaro just wanted acceptance from his father. Also, Alex seemed to have made up her mind about not wanting to take those pills, but it wasn't until much later did she make that clear to her mother. These young people are struggling with their own self identities but don't feel like they have the support of their families when making that journey. And what is the motivation of the parents? It seems like Alex's mother just wants her to be able to have a "normal" life. Alvaro's father on the other hand just seemed distant, uninterested, and most importantly disappointed. What was most compelling about this story was, as it evolved, it became increasingly relatable for everyone watching. We all struggle with acceptance from our families and we all work to shape our own gender identities despite the feelings of inadequacy. The minimalist dialogue has causing me to grow increasingly irritated, actually. Throughout the film different characters kept encouraging each of the dads to discuss the obvious tension between them, but despite pressure they never really discussed anything, ever! The only character that was slightly forward was Alex. Great film! Probably the best of the festival so far!
by Tasha 1:10pm on November 15th 2008
I was moved by Lucía Puenzo's ability to involve the audience in such as realistic struggle to find acceptance between genders. I, personally, have a hard time relating to a struggle I have not had to encounter, yet I found myself more than empathetic during the movie, as if I were somehow experiencing Alex's invasion of privacy, confusion, frustration and small joys. At the same time I was Alvaro, and within the first 15 minutes of XXY, totally fell in love with Alex. The character development was striking, and each character was relatable, despite each character's scene time in the film. As for the cinematography, the long, scenic shots in the woods and on the beach seemed to add a sort of awkward, yet peaceful, ambiance to the overall air of indecisiveness. I also loved the role the parents played in the film, particularly Alex's dad. I was surprised and delighted that the father seemed to be more supportive of the transition than Alex's mother, for in reality the men I know seem far more concerned what others may say or think than the women I know, in relation to family values. Perhaps the most moving and truthful statements of the piece was said by the transgenered character; making your child afraid of their own body is the worst thing a parent can do. It seems like the most basic rule of upbringing, but when parents compare their children to "normal" being afraid helps keep us all the same. -Jahla, Nov. 16, 2008 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Like everyone else who has posted, I appreciated the fact that Lucía Puenzo did not pass us through every typical method of introducing the plot and instead simply put us in the middle of the story. We were in the Uruguayan coast with two very different families, and whatever else we needed to know we would know in time. The secondary characters (Alex’s both friends, her attackers, etc.) and even some of the relationship conflicts (the fight she had with her friend) did not need to be introduced to us in a didactic way. It made me realize how much we already know who someone is, or how one feels, in a film before that person is concretely introduced. However, a moment when I felt this way of storytelling failed, or rather was “overkill,” was when Álvaro’s father shows his disaffection for him and his doubts on his sexuality. Though there had been hints at his father’s feelings towards Álvaro earlier in the film, this instance was of too much depth to simply pop out of nowhere. At that moment it seemed the film tried to get more out of itself than it had invested in the earlier half of the film, making us try to feel emotions for a relationship that was never quite developed on camera. I also thought it interesting that both the mothers were underdeveloped as characters, but at least all their conflicts weren’t brought upon us at the last quarter of the film, as with Álvaro’s father.
Though even at the beginning of XXY you could feel the tension that something bad, or simply stressful, is going to happen through the course of the story –and in a story like this there’s a lot of possibility of it—I appreciated the sensitivity that Puenzo used in the making of the film. Of course there were scenes of worrisome, high stress (the father fight scenes, Álvaro’s rape scene, the tension in the shower scene, and Alex’s sexual assault), but somehow they were handled with such care, both plot-wise and in film, that the audience was left hopeful instead of torn. Whereas other films try to teach a lesson by portraying morose and hopeless events, XXY stays clear from making the audience’s minds up for them by not producing didactic scenes, while giving them hope by not drowning them in melodramatic bleak scenes. Many other filmmakers and screenwriters would have at least someone die in a picture like this, but I think I learned and contemplated a lot more from watching this film. It was one of my favorites from the Olympia Film Festival, and I’m interested to see more of Puenzo’s work in the future.
To those interested, Puenzo’s upcoming film El Niño Pez is in the post-production phase. It’s based on a book she wrote about a girl (in the film played by Inés Efron) who falls in love with her maid. Apparently the story is narrated by a dog. El Niño Pez
Aris Chagoya, Nov. 18
This is one of my favorite films of all time, and the Olympia Film Festival was my second chance to view it. I love this story because not only does it humanely tackle the traditionally overlooked theme of gender identity, but it also does not pretend to offer any concrete answers. I love films that are able to pose more questions than they can answer, and leave audience members in a confused state of self-reflection and befuddlement.
We leave the theatre not knowing the true gender of Alex. She never states definitively whether or not she wants to transition as a male or if she just wants to be left alone, and remain as she is. We never fully understand the true nature of her relationship with Alvaro. Is he only interested in Alex because she allows the exploration of his homosexuality? Does he like her for exactly how she is, or maybe because she is so different? Alex’s own sexual identity is never fully understood. Does she have feelings for Alvaro, her young female friend, or her close male friend that betrayed her? Does she not intend to keep in contact with Alvaro because she truly believes he is using her, or is she so overwhelmed with being ashamed of her body and her sexuality that she is not able to connect with him emotionally?
The questions and ambiguities are endless. This film is relevant because the questions it raises are relevant in every one of our lives, most poignantly during adolescence. Who am I? Who am I sexually? Can I be myself without posing a threat to society or becoming a victim? Is there room for me to be myself? Alvaro learns that his dad has lost interest in him because of his suspicions that he was gay. Alex learns that her mother wants desperately for her to conform, for her to be “normal” and not herself.
I love the sex scene in this film because I have never seen female, or queer, sexuality presented in such an overtly dominant way before. I was pretty astonished when I first saw Alex mount Alvaro from behind. Its presentation was more raw and realistic than most depictions of queer teenage sexuality in film. I also appreciated the assault scene for not showing too much but not holding back emotionally. I’m haunted by the look in Alex’s eyes, as she is being dehumanized and you see her spirit leave her body. This was an extremely profound cinematic moment and it presented victimization in a way that was not gratuitous, eroticized, or overly manipulative. There were a few more scenes like this that I felt were so raw and real, that they are like little gems I want to stow away in my pocket to show my friends when I am trying to prove a point about marginalization, loss, and personal determination.
-Jaden Maher
XXY was by far one of the most impressive films at OFS. Unlike many films centered around gender identity, XXY treated the issues with humanity and sensitivity. There was no condescending story line or oversimplified plot. The acting was impeccable keeping the audience in a constant state of emotional turbulence. The ambiguity of the film seems to be central point of discussion. However, I found the film to be more implicit rather than ambiguous. For example, when Alex decides to stop taking male suppressing hormones, we see a pivotal point in a change in lifestyle or a beginning journey towards self-acceptance. The questions of whether or not she will transition as a full male are sort of brought to the background. Also, the encounter between Alex and Alvaro further implies a journey for sexual exploration and acceptance rather than identification with specific sexuality. I thought the ambiguity is more on the side of the parents—especially the underdeveloped characters of the mothers. The younger characters in the film seemed to be more accepting of sexual complexities—especially as demonstrated in the “peeing scene.” Overall, I loved XXY and I want to see it again.
--Jana Bolotin
