B Plus Movies

Sex sells. Frank discussions of sexuality, however, are hit and miss. If you take them off the mainstream, then it gets even iffier. Sometimes it doesn’t matter, though, if it sells or not. Sometimes, the tale just needs to be told.

Case in point: Trantasia.

Trantasia documents the first Most Beatuiful Transexual pageant which was held in Las Vegas. We see the contestants, all male to female transexuals, who are competing both for a crown and a job, the top contestants earning a spot in a show on the strip. Along the way, we get to see them at their best, their most catty and their most vulnerable.

Now compared to the images of guns, swords and monsters I usually recommend, you may be wondering why I’m suggesting you take an hour and a half to watch a bunch of women who were born boys. The reason is because this movie helps to erase much of what you thought you knew about the transgendered and helps the viewer understand just what it means to these individuals to have made the decision to be on the outside what they already were inside. You meet a number of the contestants on a personal level and through the camera get to know them not just as a group outside the norm, but as people with whom it is very easy to relate.

As a documentary, this movie works. Trantasia intersperses the human drama with just plain drama and sometimes with sex and other times with humor. We see the girls from all sides and I found myself rewarded with an entertaining ride for my interest.

While I don’t expect to reveiw a great number of documentaries as part of B+ Movies, I’m glad I found one that I have no problem giving the full B+. Check out Trantasia if you want something real, a touch bizarre and very, very honest.

And if you’re a guy finding the subjects just a little sexy, don’t worry. It’s normal. They may have been born male, but now they are all woman.

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