XXY
The content in XXY is difficult and daring, and the writer and director Lucia Puenzo deals with the issues raised with moral surety and conviction. What results is a powerful and captivating film with subtle performances that gives you a constant feeling of unease.
The story follows Alex (Ines Efron), a hermaphrodite who has been brought up as a girl, but is now, at fifteen, having to truly embrace her double sexual identity. It appears that the family have lived in relative tranquillity in their closed-off rural Uruguayan community until her physical anomaly is accidentally revealed to her peers. The rest of this drama develops after the arrival of a specialist doctor and his sensitive and shy son Alvaro (Martin Piroyansky). Alvaro and Alex form an unlikely friendship, and Alvaro is increasingly confused and simultaneously enthralled by Alex’s confidence and seeming disregard for the opinions of others.
Alex is perfectly played; she is not completely likeable but is admirably sure of herself and her physical being. While Alvaro’s character adds complexity to the film as it progresses because the audience’s sympathy and interest shifts to him; he is far more confused about his sexuality than Alex, and is generally much more insecure due to the lack of support from his own father.
Alex’s father Kraken is beautifully played by Ricardo Darin. He is riddled with doubts that he has dealt with the situation badly and has not done enough for his daughter. Kraken is also trying to come to terms with the fact that he may lose his daughter forever and might have to transfer that love to a sexually active teenage boy. His performance is therefore compassionate and heart-warming, and underlines how difficult it is to understand a child’s sexual awakening, whatever the circumstances.
What XXY demonstrates is that making a choice as to which gender you are is not necessarily a simple task; Alex is both masculine and feminine, and feels angry that she is being forced to choose between the two.
Some scenes make uncomfortable watching and some of the characters’ actions are painfully misjudged, and thus frustrating. But this film is absorbing and concludes with a moral message that leaves you questioning the significance of gender classification.
XXY will be on general UK release from 9 May.
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