XXY

XXY tells the story of Alex, an intersex teen who, raised as a girl, is now being pressured by family to "choose." Having moved the family from Buenos Aires to a remote seaside town in Uruguay, Alex's scientist father Kraken spends days saving injured sea creatures and gently trying to help Alex make this life-altering decision. Alex's relatively isolated existence is interrupted by the arrival of a surgeon (invited by Alex's mother to help with the "transition") and his son, Alvaro. As Alvaro and Alex begin a tentative friendship, the boy's own questions about sexuality surface and what begins as a youthful experimentation quickly becomes a very adult confrontation with the limits of sex, sexuality and gender. Supported by Kraken, misunderstood by peers and struggling to understand the limits and possibilities of gender, Alex approaches the decision head-on. In both Alex's resolve and vulnerability, we see the profound importance of freedom of choice.

XXY is a remarkable example of international queer cinema that continues to push the boundaries of representation and the film hints at a whole realm of ground-breaking narrative possibilities. First-time director Lucia Puenzo handles the film's difficult subject matter with grace; the character of Alex (played by outstanding Inés Efron) beautifully illustrates the complex struggles facing gender-queer and intersex people: the fight for freedom of choice, for support and understanding and for a space to call one's own.