Just Charlie

I first became familiar with Gilby while watching "Tolkien" where Gilby plays the young JRR Tolkien. To say that Gilby is stunningly good looking, even pretty, is putting it mildly. He also is quite charming. I opted to watch "Just Charlie" after seeing Gilby in "Tolkien". As a gay man who came out 52 years ago, I was curiouis. Not being fully familiar with the central them of "Just Charlie", I was at first surprised. At one point I considered simply not continuing to watch the movie. But, my inner voice said "give it a chance". Gilby's portrayal of a teen transsexual, MTF (male to female) is superbly acted / played. Our world continues to be challenged with the widening diversity of the human experience. Being "locked into" a body that is the wrong gender for that body must be extremely challenging and even threatening. Gilby gets five gold stars for his performance. I gave it eight.

The story is really good. It convincingly tells the psychological journey of Charlie and family. The struggles, pain and love are all so beautifully portrayed. I was very touched by the film. I loved it.

The good acting is significantly weighed down by the script. It's formulaic. The dad has troubles and the mom and sister are supportive. All too familiar GLBT tropes are brought to bear. It's not bad and would likely give hope to a kid in this situation. Now go watch Ma Vie En Rose.

Harry Gilby is a revelation! There's a meme going around on the Internet (I know, I know, I'm down with the kids!) ... "If someone shows you who they are, believe them". It's usually used in a negative sense; i.e: 'if someone displays negative traits, then don't doubt your instinct' ... but I say that this maxim can also be turned into a positive - if somebody TELLS you who they are, believe them. It doesn't cost the individual anything to accept people as they describe themselves, even when that means disregarding how society thinks they ought to be. I felt a little bit queasy about the film seeming to use violence as some kind of 'twist' - and even somewhat angry that I as a viewer had been manipulated into feeling emotion, only to have the rug yanked out from underneath me... It seemed cheap, in a way that the rest of the film wasn't, and to my mind, represented a late miscalculation in what is otherwise a fantastic film

What this film may lack in budget it certainly makes up for in heart. Superb acting from everyone involved, especially from the actor playing Charlie. The movie starts during a period that is sensitive to all transgender children and captures Charlie's troubles with her changing body and restricting choices very well. Charlie is unique for a transgender girl in a movie in that she still likes to do "boyish" things. It is a must see for most people since it provides much needed education in this matter.

I didn't know what to expect from this but I found it to be a very sensitive, well-told story. The film is keen on small little details and it's very concerned with exploring the perceptions and reactions of the people around you throughout an experience like this. There is one very manipulative, cheap shot at the end (you'll see it when you get to it) that served no purpose and put a bitter taste in my mouth, but aside from that careless and shockingly contrived scene the rest of the film is very good.

This is one of those movies that I saw on streaming without ever having heard of it. I am so glad I watched it. The story is believable and I found the acting superb. This certainly deserves a higher rating than its current 6.9: please don't tell me people rate this movie so low because of transphobia. Knowing a transgender person myself, I think the feelings portrayed in this movie are absolutely realistic. As are some of the shocking (and fortunately sometimes heartwarming) reactions by people. Oh how I wish every child and every parent saw this movie.

I'm just going to touch on the ending. Many people say it shouldn't have been included, but I disagree. Whilst I didn't like it, I think it was necessary. A young person in a similar situation may see this film and learn from it. Without that ending, they may make the same mistake. Kids can be cruel, and that shouldn't be overlooked. I think it's a very well written film that shows the day to day problems a young trans person may face. I was in a very dark place when I was younger, and watching 'Beautiful Thing' changed my life. This film is a gem, and I hope it will do for others what Beautiful Thing did for me. 10/10