XXY (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Lucía Puenzo

Writers:

Sergio Bizzio (short story "Cinismo")
Lucía Puenzo (writer)

Release Date:

2 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This is the dramatic story of a 15-year-old hermaphrodite. She lives with her parents, who have to cope with the challenges of her medical condition. |

Plot Keywords:

Hermaphrodite | Surgery | Androgyny | Broken Nose | Rape Attempt

Awards:

20 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Ricardo Darín	...	Kraken
Valeria Bertuccelli	...	Suli
Germán Palacios	...	Ramiro
Carolina Pelleritti	...	Erika
Martín Piroyansky	...	Alvaro
Inés Efron	...	Alex
Guillermo Angelelli	...	Juan
César Troncoso	...	Washington
Jean Pierre Reguerraz	...	Esteban
Ailín Salas	...	Roberta
Luciano Nóbile	...	Vando
Lucas Escariz	...	Saul

Also Known As:

XXY (International: English title) (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Argentina | France | Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Italy:VM14 | Canada:14A | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | France:Unrated (with warning) | Brazil:16 | Ireland:16 | Norway:11 | UK:15 | Hungary:16 | Belgium:KT | Australia:MA (2008) | Taiwan:R-18 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Poland:15 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Piriápolis, Maldonado, Uruguay

Company:

Historias Cinematograficas Cinemania

Trivia:

On September 27, 2007, XXY was chosen to represent Argentina at the Oscars, for the Best Foreign Language Film category. In a rare sweep, it was also chosen to represent Argentina at Spain's Goya Awards, for Best Foreign Film in Spanish. The tradition has been for two separate films to be sent to one of the awards each. The runner-up this year, in both cases, was La señal (2007), also starring (and co-directed by) Ricardo Darín.

A Life Determining Conflict: Who Am I?

The chromosomal abnormality of XXY has been labeled as Klinefelter's Syndrome, hermaphroditism, and Intersex. The 'conception' defect results in a child with both male and female organs and when detected at birth usually results in a decision between physicians and parents to surgically alter the child to be one or the other phenotypic assignments - male or female. In this remarkably sensitive film based on a short story 'Cinismo' by Sergio Bizzio and adapted for the screen by writer/director Lucía Puenzo, XXY becomes a story of understanding and acceptance of a diagnosis by both child and parents and the conflicts such gender variation can present.

Alex (Inés Efron) is the XXY patient of the story, having been raised on the isolated coastline of Uruguay as a girl with the aid of supplemental hormones until age 15, the age when her loving Argentinean parents Kraken (Ricardo Darín) and Suli (Valeria Bertuccelli) have decided she should have her 'offending member' removed, allowing her to become a completely phenotypic female. Alex is deeply conflicted about her situation, refuses to take her medications and enjoys being 'one of the boys' in secret. When Alex's parents invite their surgeon friend Ramiro (Germán Palacios) and his wife Erika (Carolina Pelleritti) to their home to advise them on the surgical alternatives, they are accompanied by their artistic son Alvaro (Martín Piroyansky). There is an attraction between Alex and Alvaro and this ultimately results in a crisis that results in the coming of age and self-acceptance of both youngsters. Lucía Puenzo and her fine cast sensitively explore the interaction between parents and children and the coming to grips with choice of identity. This is yet another challenging and rewarding film from Argentina, one that stands alone as a fine movie, but one that also would be wise to add to the film libraries of high school and college students and of patient resource facilities who deal with problems of gender identity. Highly recommended. Grady Harp