Transkids

טרנסקידס | Hilla Medalia | Israel, 2019 | Hebrew (English subtitles) | Documentary | 103m | IMDB | Distributor/Sales: Docs for Education | Festival marketing sample: MJFF 2020 | Trailer

Description: Four Jewish Israeli transgender teenagers, three female to male, one male to female, undergo gender reassignment as they deal with family, school, religion, government bureaucracy, army conscription and health issues.

Merits: The unique Israeli social issues faced by the protagonists elevates this film from the standard trans teen doc genre. While all the families appeared to be generally accepting, it was clear that this was not something that was particularly easy for any of them and that this journey started long before filming. The kids came from very diverse backgrounds: Tel Aviv middle class, conservative religious settlers and marginalised periphery. Certain issues were only briefly mentioned or hinted at and I wished the film could have explored them more: for example Ofir’s problems in school or Romy’s self hate and anorexia. We briefly saw one of the kids interacting with his girlfriend. All the others disavowed any interest in relationships. This film was originally released as a TV series. Was too much left on the cutting room floor?

Rating: Self harm references, LGBTQ theme.