Framing Agnes

A fascinating, multidimensional, mosaic-like glimpse at transgender life from the 1950s to today as interpreted by — and through — a group of transmasculine and transfeminine performers and creatives and one uniquely impressive academic.

With only Garfinkel’s archives to go on, Drucker is able to give a sly, necessarily mysterious air to Agnes’s life. And, yes: the format is quite fun to watch, too.

Essential viewing.

Joynt’s scope as a researcher is admirably broad, but what his film lacks is a sense of purpose as a work of cinema.

It’s a smart and inventive method of storytelling that nods to the reality that, until very recently, most trans people in pop culture have been relegated to trashy daytime TV, where they’ve tended to be cruelly depicted as aberrations.

[A] richly heady, thoughtful documentary [that] is constantly welcoming us in by reflecting on itself.

The narrative switches between past and present, re-creation to reality, somewhat akin to Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce’s 2019 doc “Framing John Delorean” (2019), with Joynt being more on target and effective with the structure.

Having seen all the Trans 101 required material, I went into Framing Agnes expecting honesty, emotions and a dash of trauma. Still, nothing prepared me for what happened in the ensuing 75 mins.

Expanding his 2018 short, filmmaker Chase Joynt deconstructs drama, documentary and pastiche in a way that's riveting and entertaining.

… a fascinating, insightful and timely documentary.