Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

alejaduque123 Even though the main point of the entire movie was focused on Ray's mother, who was struggling with getting Ray's dad consent for Ray to finally start his transition into a boy, i think the movie could have been a lot better if we actually had the chance to see the actual transition, or at least part of it. Was I the only one waiting to see her starting on T and completely changing her life??. The acting and production of the movie wasn't actually bad, I just think there could have been a lot more story than a mother who wants to get some papers singed for a transformation that we never actually get to see. Excuse me if I am missing the whole point of the movie, I KNOW, there's a lot of things behind whole story line, for example, acceptance, family issues, secrets from the past, personal struggles in the characters, I GET IT. But how exciting would it be to actually get to witness Ray's transformation?. This movie just left me with a lot of question. How will testosterone going to change him? Did he gets the girl at the end? Will he be happy after his transition? Will Ray's mother end up with her former lover? I guess we will never know, because the movie actually ends up when Ray gets the green light to start the treatment. Which is such a cliffhanger, not fair. Don't judge me, but i actually think this could have carried a lot more history that it had already, and it could have been a lot more exciting in my opinion. I wish i would have liked this book better.

TxMike I watched this at home as a Netflix streaming movie. The story here involves a heated topic in many circles, the idea that a person may be born into a gender that is not appropriate for who they really are. Many on the "conservative" side, especially of they are also fundamental religious, firmly believe that if you are born a girl that is what you are supposed to be, learn to live with it, wanting to transition to a boy should never be an option. Many on the "liberal" side firmly believe that a person needs to be true to themselves and if that means switching genders then they are supportive. In addition there are whole bunches of people who don't care either way.This movie was written and directed by women, one of them is a formerly married mother of three. The core story involves a 16-yr-old girl who has felt for most of her life that she was really a boy born with female parts. She pilots her skateboard, she dresses like a boy, she cuts her hair short. And now as the story confronts us she is requesting her mom's permission to enter a program to "transition" to a boy. She wants to get a fresh start at a new school and as a boy. A wrinkle is that her dad, whom she has no contact for the last 10 years or so, has to sign the form also.Elle Fanning who otherwise is good at glamour type female roles is really good here as Ray, I found myself really believing this girl could want to be a boy. Her grandmom is played well by Susan Sarandon as Dolly, who supports her daughter, loves her and wants her to be happy, but just doesn't know how to react to her daughter's request. And there is Naomi Watts, good as the mom, Maggie, also mostly puzzled about how to react. In an interesting additional role Linda Emond is Frances, the lesbian partner of Dolly.I think there is no doubt about the leanings of those who made this movie, but regardless of a particular viewer's own leanings the movie can be appreciated for the story it tells, there is no running away and sticking heads in the sand, the transgender issue is here and it will stay and this movie gives an excellent view of the landscape.I enjoyed watching it, good movie.

phd_travel The fine actresses drew me to see this movie. And they do act well. As for the story - that's another thing. It seems like some indie films are trying to outdo each other in finding the most bizarre and novel family combination possible. This one has lesbian grandmothers, unwed mother who slept with 2 brothers, and the central focus a girl wanting to transition to a boy. Didn't really get much insight into the mind of a transgender. The little melodrama is more on the contrived side.Elle Fanning is a strange choice to play the central character. She still acts and looks very feminine with her sweet smile and delicate features. K Stew would have been better in this role. Naomi Watts can act anything well and she kept me watching a rather tiresome and unsympathetic character. Susan Sarandon is fun to watch.Not really worth watching.

Alex Erzen I was over the moon about this movie, since it's not often Hollywood produces something like this. We don't have many LGBTQ+ movies, and we sorely lack representation.But I was severely disappointed. Firstly, the movie isn't actually about Ray. The protagonist is Ray's mom, an 18-year-old in the body of a grown up (at some point she complains her lesbian mothers are breaking up with her, because they suggest she might move out of their house). She is trying and mostly fails to support Ray in transition (which is odd, since she mentions years of therapy with him), misgendering him several times throughout the movie and expressing doubts about the authenticity of his experience. She acts completely immaturely where Ray's father(s?) are involved, which is a major subplot for some reason. The biological father and one of the grandmothers often misgender him and direct transphobia at him. In addition, a lot of Ray's own experience of gender, conveyed through his videos, seems to be based off gender roles (him saying he'd rather be a race-car driver or a cowboy than a princess) and that made me doubt the writers actually did any research on trans individuals and gender identity.The fact is that the creators of the movie had an amazing opportunity to bring out an interesting story of someone that is often overlooked in film and thus can offer a new perspective to the viewer. Instead, they chose to push Ray into the background and focus on the emotionally immature mother and her weird love triangle. A FILM THAT WAS MADE TO HIGHLIGHT THE EXPERIENCE OF A STIGMATIZED AND UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY DEVOLVED TO THE POINT WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE Plot line IS WHITE/RICH/STRAIGHT/CISGENDER CHARACTERS' DRAMA THAT CENTERS AROUND FURTHER STIGMATIZING/DISENFRANCHISING THAT SAME MINORITY. To me, the movie felt plastic. I don't know what it was trying to do, but it felt like the story was just an afterthought. If it ends up raising awareness somehow, great. But in the end, it's just a bad movie.