XXY

Recently I had dinner with a friend, and while we were enjoying wine, pasta, and conversation he mentioned a film he’d recently seen that he highly recommended. Pressed further for plot details he would only reveal that the main character was a teenage hermaphrodite. He said that’s all I needed to know. My interest was piqued.

Later that evening I logged on to my Netflix account and ordered “XXY” placing it at the top of my queue.


“XXY” is a 2007 Argentinian film directed and written by Lucia Puenzo, based on the short story “Cinismo” by Sergio Bizzio.

It’s the story of Alex, a 15 year old hermaphrodite from Buenos Aires whose parents move from Argentina to a secluded fishing village in Uruguay in order for her to live a quiet life. Unfortunately Alex has reached a period of sexual awareness and is confronted with her upbringing as a girl and her feelings of being a boy.

The weekend visit of family friends, whose 16 year old son is also going through sexually identity issues, unleashes pent-up feelings for Alex. Together they explore their sexuality and all the frustrations and humiliations of adolescence.

I don’t want to give too much away, but trust me, this deeply rich and moving human drama is beautifully acted and definitely worth seeing.

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