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On The Sea (UK)

By Golu
This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
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Transformer (Documentary) (Canada)

By Golu
Making documentaries is a hard thing. You ave to balance the information, storyline, side characters so that it is interesting for the viewers, especially when the subject and topic could be slightly delicate as well. Transformer introduces Janae Marie Kroczaleski, a trans woman who until 2015 was known to the public as Matt Kroc, an "ultimate alpha male" who set a world record for combined powerlifting. Despite feeling since childhood that he was actually a woman, Matt pursued male perfection.

We get to know a bit about Matt's childhood and past including is stint in the US Marines after which he got into the whole power lifting ting. But one ting e always ad was feeling of being a woman. Despite the fact he got married and and 3 sons, with whom he shares a wonderful relationship, something was missing and tis documentary shares wit us his transformation journey. Matt is now Janae. He came out as trans to his boys long ago, when they were two, four and six. Now teens, the kids seem completely accepting of this unconventional life. Janae is still struggling with the constant back and forth between male and female and wants to correct certain things about her body while also seeking acceptance from everyone. When accidentally Janae is outed on youtube, se takes charge of her life and decides to go for a couple of surgeries including vocal cord and face enhancement to look more feminine. The doc ends just after Jane gets her surgery done.

I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. We never do see a live image of Janae after the surgery, which I found puzzling, and we never know what happened to her career-wise. Also, once she commits to transitioning, we don't see any reactions from family and friends. We do see a lot of background coming to this point. What I really enjoyed was Janae's interaction with the sons and ow supportive they were. They were genuinely interested in knowing details and what's going on in her head. Initially we are sown tat Matt is not sure about the transition. She isn't sure she wants to give up the option of presenting herself as a man on occasion. That's easy to understand, since Matt devoted his life to acquiring the muscular bulk that stands in the way of Janae's feminine style. Switching back and forth is problematic. But once the decision is taken, there is no looking back. Following Matt through a public transition and capturing its unique set of complications, this is likely to surprise anyone expecting sensationalism.

This was a courageous film done with a lot of integrity. Open hearted peeps will get a real boost from this incredible journey and amazing up front no holds bar woman's gutsy transition like no other you have seen before. (7/10)
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