Julia Ostertag
Allemagne 2005 72min German o.v. English s-t.

Girls who are boys and like boys who are girls – and all permutations in-between are given free reign to define themselves in Gender X, an engaging and entertaining look at Berlin’s diverse multi-gender scene. Trawling the drag shows of Berlin, Julia Ostertag spent half a year recording her encounters with queers, drag queens and transgender personalities. What emerges is a collection of fascinating portraits of a whole array of characters, and introduces the notion of a sliding scale of transgender identity, ranging from curious teenage boys donning dresses to full post-op transsexuals. Refreshingly not focussing on the sorrows of feeling “trapped in the wrong body”, Gender X instead explores the notion of a third gender – a kind of unclaimed space of infinite possibilities and the individuals exploring these nether regions. Much more than your average talking heads doc, Ostertag has created a compelling exploration of the beauty and vibrant genderfuck milieu that Berlin is so famous for. An homage to personal freedom and to those who have the courage to determine their own sexual persuasions and identities, Gender X is a cosmopolitical and liberatingly polysexual viewing experience.

Shown on:

sunday, november 06, 3H00 PM parisien 7 - pgm17 (Gender X + The Story of Jason and Reyna)