XXY (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• paul s

  
  XXY is a coming of age film, but with an interesting and provocative twist; the main character is a hermaphrodite. This may be shocking to some, but I found this aspect of the film, as well as that of the parallel coming of age tale of the visiting male teen, quite interesting.… More
  XXY is a coming of age film, but with an interesting and provocative twist; the main character is a hermaphrodite. This may be shocking to some, but I found this aspect of the film, as well as that of the parallel coming of age tale of the visiting male teen, quite interesting. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the dialog of the film (or the translation of the dialog to be specific). The film tend to dawdle, spending too much time creating atmosphere and a feeling of normalcy (like showing a family dinner with friends where absolutely nothing happens to move the story along). The story of the she/he is told well however. She (for that is how "it" is perceived) is wrestling with her identity and is considering the male aspects of her physiology. She experiments being the "dominant" with a slightly older boy - a family friend who is also struggling with his identity (he may have gay tendencies, or is just curious... the film smartly leaves that to the imagination of the viewer). Thrown into the mix are the feelings of both sets of parents - from she/he's father, who has moved the family from Argentina to a remote fishing village in Uruguay to protect her/him; and really simply wants her to decide who she wants to be and will accept that decision - to the visiting "friends" (a relationship that seems very tenuous at best). The father of the visiting boy has turned his back on his son as he believes the boy does indeed have a hankering for other boys. He is also a surgeon, and insinuates that he would be happy to take a little snip at the "daughter's" problem. If this all sounds intriguing, it is. But the pace and some of the directorial decisions seem to muck up the matter. Just as there is curiosity when she/he's secret is revealed to a friend, who makes the mistake of telling the secret to his chums, the ultimate payoff of the film seems rather flat, with all the sexual tension and confusion between the boy and "girl" reduced to an odd, "wanna see it?" question. That the boy doesn't respond (and the film shows a close-up of his face, which displays NOTHING), you wonder what the message was - man, this climax could have been handled so much better! I'd also like to mention that the synopsis presented by RT is incorrect - she/he is NOT saved from the rape by her father Kraken - she is saved by the local boy she told the secret to.

• Cynthia S

  
  What an excellent movie!! Being a teenager is hard enough without all that this poor kid had to deal with. This a well done movie, and told the story that it intended to very nicely.

• Lady D

  
  Simplistic, yet effective. Covering a rare, but intriguing subject matter and creating a realistic style film and conveying feelings and emotions through acting rather than the dialogue.

• Carlos M

  
  An intimate, poignant human drama about intersexuality, XXY appropriately avoids easy answers and resolutions; it is subtle, sensitive, mostly silent, and has some outstanding performances by Ricardo Darín and Inés Efron.

• Elvira B

  
  Amazing, intense, contained, just leaves you speechless. In my opinion, pure cinema.

• Luke B

  
  A wonderfully subtle film that, given it's subject matter, could have easily spilled over into sentimentality. One of the genius strokes is to have Alex, despite being a hermaphrodite, not being the most confused character in the film. She certainly has questions and doubts, but… More
  A wonderfully subtle film that, given it's subject matter, could have easily spilled over into sentimentality. One of the genius strokes is to have Alex, despite being a hermaphrodite, not being the most confused character in the film. She certainly has questions and doubts, but these seem more to put others at ease. Her existence has her parents questioning what to do and the boys she comes into contact with are also left with doubts. It's a film that blurs the lines for sex and sexuality and suggests that it probably doesn't matter what or who you are. The portrayals are all handled delicately and the scenery and cinematography combine to create a beautiful film. A film that says a lot despite the limited dialogue.

• Mark A

  
  A sensitive film that deals with an uncomfortable subject and handles it with quiet dignity. A family moves from their native Argentina to a remote area of Uruguay in order to shield their "daughter" from ridicule over her abnormal physical attributes. But things have… More
  A sensitive film that deals with an uncomfortable subject and handles it with quiet dignity. A family moves from their native Argentina to a remote area of Uruguay in order to shield their "daughter" from ridicule over her abnormal physical attributes. But things have reached a point where the "girl" must choose whether to continue to live her life as a female or embrace her masculine identity. The shame of the parents and the agony that Alex faces as she makes her choice is what provides the conflict in the story. Complicating the process is another young man facing his own sexual identity issues of a different sort being thrust into the already stressed family environment. The director could have emphasized all of the more prurient aspects of the central dilemma, but chose a more subtle approach and therefore allowed the viewer to fully empathize with the struggles these two teens face. Strong characters, a solid story and very few false notes made what could have been a difficult film a very thought provoking experience. In the end, we have a clear idea of the decisions that have been made and we understand that the roads chosen will not be easy.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "XXY," Alex(Ines Efron) is a 15-year old with both male and female sexual characteristics who is being raised by her parents(Ricardo Darin & Valeria Bertuccelli) as a girl. She told her former best friend, Vando(Luciano Nobile), about her secret… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "XXY," Alex(Ines Efron) is a 15-year old with both male and female sexual characteristics who is being raised by her parents(Ricardo Darin & Valeria Bertuccelli) as a girl. She told her former best friend, Vando(Luciano Nobile), about her secret but he reacted in such a way for her to punch him, resulting in her expulsion from school. A friend(Carolina Pelleritti) of her mother's has come to visit her family, her husband(German Palacios) being a plastic surgeon who is being consulted about possible surgery on Alex. However, it is their son, Alvaro(Martin Piroyansky), who interests her the most...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"XXY" is a highly provocative genderblender(especially when it comes to teen sexuality) that has the very intelligent thought that children do not have a choice when they grow up since they are essentially discovering the person they truly are. To that end, Alex has stopped taking the corticoid which will dampen her female development, to the dismay of her mother. At the time, I thought Alex had chosen being a boy, but that is not it either. In fact, I think she is happy with the status quo, even if the rest of the world is not.(The movie presents these arguments in a very understated way, especially in the realistic way it conveys the lack of communication between the generations.) In the end, Alex would probably fare better in a large city with a diverse society, compared to the hyper-masculine fishing village near where she currently resides. [/font]

• Quinto W

  
  A beautiful film that transcend its subject matter and anyone can relate to. Martin Piroyansky is beyond outstanding.

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