Filmed over four years, a lingering lens provides a profound look at four transgender youth (starting at ages 4, 9, 12 and 15) as they redefine “coming of age.” These kids and their families unmask the intimate realities of how gender fluidity is re-shaping the family next door, especially in America’s heartland.
This film probes deep – creating the richness and insight inspired by works such as Boyhood and the Up Series. Beyond an untold chronicling of growing up trans in Kansas City, the film is a nuanced examination of how families tussle, transform, and surprisingly find purpose in their new identities as a trans family. The film raises controversial questions about parents’ motives and secondary gains from an identity as a trans family.
Four kids face typical growing pains like acne, sibling rivalry, divorcing parents, crushes, and breakups. They navigate body dysphoria, hormone treatments, threats of violence, and the weight of making life-altering decisions. Curiously, these journeys unfold in the buckle of the bible belt where the struggle for political and social equality meets high resistance.
