Transformer

Del Monte offers a warm portrait of a thoroughly winning subject.

Michael Del Monte's mirthful documentary carries an edifying weight that few films can muscle.

Overall, though, Del Monte has crafted a warm portrait of the birth of a woman from a man who found that he had even more strength than he ever realized.

an important LGBTQ documentary

Transformer has the kind of hook that practically invites an exploitative approach -- "Alpha-male, girly-girl" to quote Kroc. But Del Monte's straightforward observational doc takes its cue from Janae's level-headed honesty.

We only get a few glimpses of what the more mundane aspects of Janae's life are like outside the safe spaces of her home and the gym. Fortunately, she is as chatty and eminently likeable as she is ripped, and has no problem carrying the film.

It's a film full of spirit and charm and, by ditching the old simplifications, opens up new narratives to help those who struggle to understand what it is to be trans. We're all human first.

Trans people frequently struggle to find their place when they come out and Transformer does a solid job at documenting JanaeKroczaleski's struggle.

This should be required viewing for anyone trying to better understand the sometimes crippling emotional weight of body dysmorphia.

This is not, to put it mildly, the kind of conversation one normally hears in films, and is all the more fascinating for that, and all the more to be valued.