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Behind Every Good Man
U.S., 1967
In strong contrast to the largely negative depictions of transgender people on film at the time, Nikolai Ursin’s black and white short provides an illuminating glimpse into a day in the life of an unnamed trans woman. The protagonist of Ursin’s independent film isn’t rendered as the typical “other” but instead as stable, hopeful and desirable. Stylistically, filmmaker Ursin (1942–1990) artfully blurs elements of cinéma vérité documentary and subtle dramatization to bring his lead’s deeply personal aspirations and meditations on love and acceptance to light. The resulting intimate portrait, possibly one of the earliest to honestly document a Black trans woman on film, serves as a rare cultural artifact at the intersection of trans and Black life in mid-century America. Significantly, the film also provides a previously unavailable bridge to later similarly themed works, such as Shirley Clarke's landmark documentary Portrait of Jason (1967) and Queens at Heart (1967).—Mark Quigley
16mm, b&w, 8 min. Director: Nikolai Ursin. Preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
How Not to Date While Trans
U.S., 2022
Too often on screen, transness has been equated exclusively with medical transitions, making the question of when, if at all, to disclose one’s transness to others a central theme in trans film history. (It is no accident that the titular film of this series is called Disclosure.) Filmmaker Nyala Moon delves into the issue of disclosure through a darkly comedic chronicling of recent first dates with “problematic” men. By routinely breaking the fourth wall, Moon, who stars as Andi, playfully reclaims her right to self-definition, autonomy and privacy.—Beandrea July
DCP, color, 12 min. Director/Screenwriter: Nyala Moon. With: Nyala Moon, Juliana Martinez, Javan Nelson.
Gun Hill Road
U.S., 2011
Harmony Santana, an early example of a trans actor playing a trans character, shines as Vanessa in this family drama about a Puerto Rican trans teenager in New York City navigating her hormonal changes as a girl who must hide who she is from her transphobic father (Esai Morales). Written and directed by Bronx native Rashad Ernesto Green (Premature), his feature debut features a strong ensemble cast of Morales, Judy Reyes and Santana who imbue this story with vibrance, tenderness and pathos. The film also features original poetry penned by New York theater mainstay Zora Howard, a longtime collaborator of Green.—Beandrea July
DCP, color, 86 min. Director/Screenwriter: Rashad Ernesto Green. With: Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
