tillie olsen : a heart in action is a 2007 documentary film directed and produced by ann hershey on the life and literary influence of tillie olsen , the u.s. writer best known for the books tell me a riddle ( 1961 ) and yonnondio : from the thirties ( 1974 ) .

the film includes extensive interviews with olsen and with prominent fans of her work , including writers alice walker and florence howe and feminist political leader gloria steinem .

tillie olsen : a heart in action

tillie olsen : a heart in action is included in the following special collections .
tillie olsen : a heart in action ( dvd video , 2008 ) [ worldcat . org ]
the tillie olsen film project . tillie olsen - a heart in action . a film by ann hershey . ( link )
tillie olsen in 2001 . the writer and activist , who died last year , is the subject of a new documentary ,
tillie olsen : a heart in action .
photo by christopher felver
hearing that line , filmmaker ann hershey , who was with olsen at the time , knew she ' d found the title and opening sequence for her new documentary ,
tillie olsen : a heart in action .
tillie olsen : a heart in action / ann hershey ; tillie olsen ; frances reid ; irving saraf ; mary watkins ; persimmon tree films . ; women make movies ( firm ) ; ; new york , ny : women make movies , 2007 .
i thought you might be interested in this item at urltoken title : tillie olsen : a heart in action author : ann hershey ; tillie olsen ; frances reid ; irving saraf ; mary watkins ; persimmon tree films ; women make movies ( firm ) publisher : new york , ny : women make movies , 2007 . oclc : 232665483
summary a portrait of tillie olsen . includes interviews with alice walker , gloria steinem and tillie olsen ' s daughters .
“a heart in action is , without a doubt , a gift to educators who are invested in trying to train students to develop a historical and political imagination . it restores olsen to the thirties milieu that formed her political sensibilities while simultaneously insisting upon her currency for ongoing projects of cultural studies and feminist activism within the present . educators interested in using hershey’s film might place it in conversation with works of feminist theory and cultural studies . . ”
tillie olsen : a heart in action : screens 7 p . m . monday . grand lake theater , 3200 grand lake ave . , oakland . tickets : $ 10 . show includes a sing - along to labor and folk songs featuring ronnie gilbert . for information , call persimmon tree films at ( 510 ) 222 - 6931 or go to urltoken .
tillie olsen was 91 when she collapsed in omaha , neb . , where the venerable writer and activist had grown up in a working - class , russian - jewish socialist family , and where she ' d returned in 2003 to receive an award from the high school she ' d quit to take a factory job . in the hospital , she gazed in wonder at the ekg of her pulsing heart .
what better way to open the film ?
says hershey , who specializes in documentaries about creative older women and made a prize - winning 1976 film about bay area photographer imogen cunningham .
it was perfect for tillie . her heart was in action all the time , whether it was for civil rights and justice or getting people writing and telling their stories .
tillie lerner worked all kinds of jobs - waitress , laundress , pork trimmer in a packinghouse . she moved to san francisco in 1934 , and plunged into the local labor struggle , which she wrote about for the new republic and partisan review . a member of the young communist league for a period , she fell in love with and eventually married jack olsen , a fellow communist who was a warehouseman and union official ( he later taught the first labor studies class at city college of san francisco ) . he and tillie , who had a daughter from a previous relationship , had three more daughters , all of whom became involved in social action .
born in omaha , nebraska in 1912 , olsen died in 2007 at the age of 94 . a depression - era high school dropout , olsen made public libraries her college . she worked as a waitress and secretary for 20 years while raising four daughters .
i certainly didn ' t want it to go on strike for better working conditions ,
joked olsen , who ' d been arrested during the historic 1934 san francisco waterfront strike and over the ensuing decades and until her death at 94 on new year ' s day 2007 , was deeply engaged in the labor , anti - war and feminist movements .
it was a real thrill to see my own heart in action .
seven years in the making ,
tillie olsen : a heart in action ,
will premiere locally at oakland ' s grand lake theater at 7 p . m . on monday , olsen ' s birthday . before the screening , folksinger ronnie gilbert , an old friend and comrade of olsen ' s , and members of olsen ' s family will lead a sing - along of labor and folk songs like
i dreamed i saw joe hill last night
and
which side are you on ?
gilbert will sing
beloved comrade ,
as she does in the film when olsen kisses her parents ' gravestones . the lyrics will be projected on the screen for those in the crowd who don ' t know them .
oakland , ca - january 25 , 2008 . a new documentary on tillie olsen , feminist and award winning author ,
tillie olsen : a heart in action ,
will be shown on wednesday , february 6 at 6 : 30 pm in lucie stern 100 at mills college , 5000 macarthur blvd . , oakland , ca . admission is free and open to the public . seating is limited . previous screenings of the film at the grand lake theater in oakland have sold out . the 66 - minute film , directed by filmmaker ann hershey , follows the life of an activist who fought against the silencing of women , and for the rights of american workers .
martin , abigail : tillie olsen ( digital collections , albertsons library ) . ( link )
a loving portrait of the san francisco writer best known for
tell me a riddle
- the poetic and wrenching 1961 novella about an old married couple facing the end of their hard lives - the film begins with the sound and image of olsen ' s beating heart .
frye , joanna s . 1995 . tillie olsen : a study of the short fiction . new york : twayne publishers , 1995 .
cusac , anne - marie : tillie olsen interview . the progressive , november 1999 . ( link )
hershey will answer questions following the screening . she will be introduced by mills alumna ( class of ' 94 ) rebekah edwards , the granddaughter of tillie olsen and a lecturer in the mills english department .
coiner , constance ( 1995 ) : tillie olsen ' s life . from : better red – the writing and resistance of tillie olsen and meridel le sueur . new york : oxford up , 1995 . ( link )
tillie olsen ' s impassioned voice against the oppression of women inspired the voices of a new generation . for olsen , art and humanity were one ; her life was her work of art
olsen , tillie . 1974 . yonnondio : from the thirties . new york . delacorte press / seymour lawrence .
tillie olsen ' s impassioned voice against the oppression of women inspired the voices of a new generation . for olsen , art and humanity were one ; her life was her work of art ,
said mills president janet l . holmgren . olsen received an honorary doctor of letters degree from mills college in 1995 .
pearlman , mickey , and abby h . p . werlock . 1991 . tillie olsen . boston : twayne publishers .
during the dark days of the mccarthy era in the 1950s , jack olsen was continually fired for his political past and often out of work . tillie , who was president of the pta , was accused of being a stalinist agent trying to infiltrate the schools ; neighbors told their kids to shun the olsen girls . their mother worked as a secretary and at other jobs . she had little time for writing , a subject she explored in essays about impediments to writing that were published in her 1978 book ,
silences .
during this respite she was able to write , and began work on a novel about the holbrooks , a poor family struggling to eke out a living in the 20’s and early 30’s , first in a coal - mining town in wyoming , then on a tenant farm in south dakota , finally in a meat - packing center modelled on omaha . the novel remained unfinished but was eventually published in 1972 as yonnondio : from the thirties . it captures the pain and futility of the american midwestern rural and urban poor in vivid , psychologically wrenching scenes that show the crushing effects of poverty on father , mother and children . although the narrative perspective shifts repeatedly and includes poetic , stream - of - consciousness passages , the experiences of mother anna and daughter mazie receive the most development and offer the few momentary examples of hope for a better life .
olsen , tillie . 1961 . tell me a riddle : a collection . reprints of “i stand here ironing , ” “hey sailor , what ship , ” “0 yes , ” and “tell me a riddle . ” philadelphia and new york . j . b . lippincott , 1961 .
in the film , olsen says she started writing about the lives of the working people she grew up with because
it was nearly impossible to find them in any of the books i read .
while still in her teens , she began writing the novel
yonnondio ,
which she took up again and published in the early ' 70s . in this depression - era tale of a family struggling to survive , the mother , anna , dies of a botched abortion she performs on herself .
reid , panthea . 2010 . tillie olsen : one woman , many riddles . new brunswick , nj and london . rutgers .
many women were forced to terminate their own pregnancies at the time ,
and tillie wanted to write about that . she was a woman writing about her life and her neighbors and her community ,
hershey says . like many women , the filmmaker discovered olsen during what she calls
the resurgence of the feminist movement
in the ' 70s , when olsen became a feminist heroine , a role she took to .
olsen , now established as a prize - winning author and feminist icon , was showered with grants and visiting professorships , including neh and guggenheim grants , fellowships at the macdowell writers’ colony in new hampshire , visiting positions at mit , university of massachusetts boston , amherst college , ucla , university of minnesota and kenyon college . she was awarded at least six honorary degrees and was celebrated in 1981 when then mayor diane feinstein proclaimed may 18 “tillie olsen day” in san francisco . she maintained a hectic pace , appearing on podiums around the country ( and abroad , as norway’s international visiting scholar in 1980 ) ; as in earlier years , olsen’s extraordinary public engagement both energized and exhausted her and again impeded actual writing .
tillie loved the grand lake , so when they said it was available on her birthday , i grabbed it ,
says hershey , sitting in her small sixth - floor office at the saul zaentz film center in berkeley .
nelson , kay hoyle , and nancy huse . 1994 . the critical response to tillie olsen . westport , conn . greenwood press .
in 1955 , on the basis of the short story
i stand here ironing ,
about a single mother ' s pained relationship with her daughter , she scored a creative writing fellowship at stanford . a ford foundation grant a few years later gave her time to write
tell me riddle ,
which won the o . henry award for best short story in 1961 .
ann hershey’s film about the life of author and activist tillie olsen serves as a great introduction and overview of both olsen’s life and her published works from which they were drawn . overarching themes include the labor movement , family life , feminism , social justice and political movements specific to california’s bay area . these have been lived and written about by olsen and are present in the film both in the first person and as recollections by olsen’s daughters , her colleagues and scholars who have studied her life and writings .
“tillie olsen helps those of us condemned to silence—the poor , the racial minorities , the women—find our voices . ” ( maxine hong kingston )
bosman , julie : tillie olsen , feminist writer , dies at 94 . new york times , january 3 , 2007 . ( link )
a biography of
tillie lerner olsen : a renegade , revolutionary , distinguished fiction and non - fiction writer , feminist , humanist , labor organizer and social activist . politically active , class conscious , deeply joined to the world , tillie countered the very core of american writing by immortalizing the lives of working class women and single mothers . . . extended interviews with olsen during the last years of her
“offers an invigorating biographical profile set against periods of dramatic social upheaval . a wonderful vehicle for encouraging a new generation to seek out olsen’s writing , this is highly recommended . ”
the biography is thorough and linear , beginning with olsen’s reminiscences of her childhood and family life in nebraska through to footage of her taken in 2006 shortly before her death on january 1 , 2007 . there is a wonderful amount of footage of tillie herself discussing her work , her choices , her motivation and circumstances as well as competing versions offered by her daughters .
subject olsen , tillie . women authors , american > biography . political activists > biography . genre biographical films . documentary films . nonfiction film .
she also neglected her daughter , pawning her off on relatives and allowing her to become ill and emaciated when under her charge . by 1936 she had broken up with abe goldfarb and begun a relationship with jack olsen , a party comrade and labor organizer . both had participated in the 1934 west coast waterfront strike and been jailed for their activities . tillie later tried to erase all mention of goldfarb in her biography ; his mysterious death in a suspicious auto accident ( 1937 ) appears to have left her with long - lasting guilt feeings ( reid 130 ) . she and jack olsen would eventually marry and have three daughters .
rosenfelt , deborah silverton , hg . 1995 . “tell me a riddle” by tillie olsen ( women writers , texts and contexts series ) . new brunswick , n . j . rutgers university press , 1995 .
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olsen10 _ 010 _ lh . jpg director ann hershey spent seven years making a documentary about tillie olsen , the famed bay area writer and activist who died a year ago . liz hafalia / the chronicle / san francisco / 1 / 8 / 08 . . . more
coiner , constance . 1995 . better red : the writing and resistance of tillie olsen and meridel le sueur . new york : oxford university press .
tillie lerner’s adult life was no less full of both exuberance and despair , commitment and distraction . charismatic and beautiful , she joined the young communist league ( ycl ) in 1930 , to the disapproval of her socialist parents , and met and secretly married abraham jevons goldfarb , a leftist writer and activist 17 years her senior . under the directives of the ycl she wrote , organized , participated in strikes , worked in a tie factory and at other jobs . when she became very ill , she was given a reprieve by the ycl and allowed to recover in faribault , minnesota at the home of her husband’s relatives .
after the reading ,
she ' d stay , and a long line of people - of all ages , all ethnicities - would come up to her with old books in their hands , a torn copy of ' tell me a riddle , '
recalls hershey , who made this low - budget film with grants and hundreds of donations . she mixed interviews with olsen , her family and writers with photographs and footage portraying the tumultuous times olsen lived through : czarist cossacks , lynched men - olsen tears up in the film as she recalls the sight and smell of a young african american she saw lynched and burned in omaha - picketing longshoremen , marching nazis , ravaged hiroshima .
olsen , tillie . 1978 . silences . new york . delacorte press / seymour lawrence . ( rpt 2003 . new york . the feminist press . )
olsen herself advocated effectively on behalf of such “lost” writers as rebecca harding davis and agnes smedley , whose work she persuaded florence howe to republish as the first two recovered texts of her new feminist press . davis’ 1861 story “life in the iron mills” appeared in 1972 with a long biographical introduction by olsen , and smedley’s autobiographical novel daughter of earth , first published in 1929 , came out the following year . in addition to her essays and talks , olsen developed reading lists of works by women writers which were eagerly adopted by feminist teachers of literature and the emerging field of women’s studies .
in the late 30’s and 1940’s tillie olsen was kept from writing by the burdens of raising a family and earning a living ; she also became actively involved on behalf of women and children , for example as president of her pta chapter and of the california cio ladies’ auxiliary ( reid 146 ) . despite having served on government boards to assist with wartime social and economic issues , tillie was , along with jack , targeted by the fbi during the “red scare” witch hunts of the early 1950’s ; both lost their jobs and lived in fear of being arrested .
olsen now began to craft stories based on her daily observations , encouraged by creative writing classes at san francisco state college and a prestigious stegner fellowship at stanford university ( 1955 - 56 ) . she wrote her best known stories during this time , including “i stand here ironing , ” a mother’s anguished reflections about her troubled daughter’s childhood and her own maternal inadequacies . in 1960 olsen published “tell me a riddle , ” a novella based on her russian immigrant mother’s last illness and death . it received the o’henry prize for best american short story the following year and in 1980 was made into a film with melvin douglas and lila kedrova and directed by lee grant .
one wall of the office is covered with pictures of frida kahlo , walt whitman , the dalai lama , and olsen with novelist alice walker . in the film , walker credits olsen with
changing the landscape of feminist writing and reading ,
alluding to olsen ' s role in getting the feminist press to republish forgotten works by women , among them rebecca harding davis ' 1861
life in the iron mills
and agnes smedley ' s 1929
daughter of earth .
olsen was nearly 50 years old when her first book , tell me a riddle , a collection of short stories , was published . its title story won the coveted o . henry prize . silences , her groundbreaking book of essays , was dedicated to historically silenced people - women , persons of color , and the working class - whose potential as writers was consumed in the hard , everyday work of maintaining human life . olsen ' s work has been published in 13 languages .
hershey became close with olsen and her family in the early ' 70s after being introduced to her by the filmmaker ' s former partner , writer sandy boucher . they helped care for olsen as she became more infirm , and developed alzheimer ' s . in the film , gloria steinem comes to visit olsen , who no longer recognizes her . steinem takes a necklace from her neck and puts it around olsen ' s .
i ' m going to try and make some trouble today and do the work that you inspired us to do .
she caught the narrative flow right away and carried it off to a powerful , weeping ending ,
says leo litwak , the short - story writer and retired san francisco state university professor . he didn ' t know olsen but admires
tell me a riddle
and
i stand here ironing ,
the best - known pieces in olsen ' s small body of work .
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“ silences will , like a room of one ' s own , be quoted where there is talk of the circumstances in which literature is possible . ” ( adrienne rich )
this revelatory documentary is an inspiring homage to tillie lerner olsen – a renegade , revolutionary , distinguished fiction and non - fiction writer , feminist , humanist , labor organizer and social activist . politically active , class conscious , deeply joined to the world , tillie countered the very core of american writing by immortalizing the lives of working class women and single mothers . her short stories “tell me a riddle , ” and “i stand here ironing , ” galvanized the literary world and set in motion an essential new perspective on the lives of ordinary women .
“welcome viewing for those interested in creative writing , social history , or women ' s studies . ”
tillie and abe’s daughter karla was born in december , 1932 . the family soon moved to california to work for the communist party . during this period tillie was torn between her writing and political activism , with her dedication to the goals of the party usually winning out . “‘when it comes to painting slogans or plastering up stickers a madness overcomes me . ’” ( reid 97 ) despite the fact that she was courted by leftist editors who saw in her the promise of a new proletarian literature – philip rahv printed the first section of her novel ( as “the iron throat” ) in his partisan review – and publishers such as bennett cerf of random house , tillie did not produce more of the promised book . she stalled publishers for years , taking their advance payments and telling them she was making progress , while instead she took part in strike actions , got arrested and jailed , and wrote political brochures .
. scholars interviewed for the film claim , variously , that “tillie is credited with changing the landscape of feminist writing… writing about women’s lives , working people” and stating boldly that olsen , “recreated the american short story . ” the range and caliber of feminists who appear in the film and discuss olsen’s contribution to literature include alice walker , gloria steinem and florence howe .
though her literary output was limited in quantity , the short stories and unfinished novel of tillie olsen are considered by many to be literary masterpieces . in her fiction , essays and charismatic talks , moreover , olsen introduced themes that would become central to a generation of women readers and writers : she brought the subject of motherhood into focus as a valid topic for literary representation , even as she showed how it , along with economic “circumstances” and the restrictions imposed by race , class and sex , presented a major obstacle to women’s artistic creativity . speaking and writing during the 1960’s , 70’s and 80’s about the “silences” imposed on women , racial minorities and working class writers , olsen drew on her own experience to open new perspectives on the literary canon . her impetus led to a movement to recover lost and neglected writers of the past , encouraged other women to tell their stories and made olsen herself a revered icon of the women’s movement . she also was an outspoken advocate of human rights , racial and social justice .
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a biography of
tillie lerner olsen : a renegade , revolutionary , distinguished fiction and non - fiction writer , feminist , humanist , labor organizer and social activist . politically active , class conscious , deeply joined to the world , tillie countered the very core of american writing by immortalizing the lives of working class women and single mothers . . . extended interviews with olsen during the last years of her life are deftly interspersed with footage from her readings , lectures and book signings as well as with archive materials and comments from notable feminists
urltoken
this documentary is perfect for classroom use , if a bit long to fit within the time - frame of a 50 minute class . it is accessible and covers a lot of information about olsen’s life , the changing political climates across her life , her activism , her literary contributions and family life . it is ultimately a sympathetic and celebratory film that is a must - buy for any educational institution that teaches women’s studies , women’s literature , feminist or gender studies , working class studies and labor relations / activism . it is specifically because olsen wrote about women’s lives and working people that this film is a solid addition to collections that support women’s and working class curricula but also because of the life she lived as a feminist and labor activist .
filmmaker ann hershey tells not only the story of olsen as a writer , but also documents her life as an activist . extended interviews with olsen during the last years of her life are deftly interspersed with footage from her readings , lectures and book signings as well as with archive materials and comments from notable feminists such as gloria steinem and alice walker . a perfect companion film in courses covering olsen’s literature , this documentary is also recommended for women’s studies , labor studies , political studies and american history courses .
olsen smiles at the camera and says ,
that will be wonderful .
this disc is a recorded dvd and may not play on all dvd players or drives .
on the road ,
tillie didn ' t just sign a book . she wanted to talk to people , and it would be hours before the end of the line came ,
hershey says . olsen
looked you right in the eye and said , ' tell me about yourself . what are you up to ? are you writing ? you ' ve gotta write , because it ' s your story . '
olsen10 _ 010 _ lh . jpg director ann hershey spent seven years making a documentary about tillie olsen , the famed bay area writer and activist who died a year ago . liz hafalia / the chronicle / san francisco / 1 / 8 / 08 * ann hershey * cq �2007 , san francisco chronicle / liz hafalia mandatory credit for photog and san francisco chronicle . no sales - mags out . less
1 videodisc ( 67 min . ) : sound , color with black and white sequences ; 4 3 / 4 in .
works republished : olsen ' s
tell me a riddle
and her nonfiction book
silences
have been republished by the feminist press at the city university of new york , urltoken .
traveling with olsen around the country , to workshops and readings at american university in washington , d . c . , and louisiana state university , hershey heard countless people tell the writer how much her stories had meant to them .
nestled in the foothills of oakland , california , mills college is a nationally renowned , independent liberal arts college offering a dynamic progressive education that fosters leadership , social responsibility , and creativity to approximately 900 undergraduate women and 500 graduate women and men . since 2000 , applications to mills college have more than doubled . the college ranks as one of the top colleges in the west by u . s . news & world report and one of the best 366 colleges by the princeton review .
olsen ' s work spoke to people
because she was telling our stories , our family stories , writing about our grandparents , their lives and struggles ,
says hershey , who is in her 60s . other writers were dealing with those subjects , she adds ,
but there was something about tillie ' s writing that was accessible to us , that made such sense and was so moving .
responsibility a film by ann hershey . imprint berkeley , calif . : persimmon tree films , [ 2008 ] physical description 1 videodisc ( ca . 81 min . ) : sd . , col . with b & w sequences ; 4 3 / 4 in .
olsen wrote almost nothing of her own during the last 25 years of her life . she kept busy reading other people ' s manuscripts and writing blurbs , forewords and afterwords , says hershey , who thinks olsen was tired and
didn ' t have the energy to put into her own work anymore .
but the writer remained politically engaged . she marched in anti - iraq war demonstrations , and hershey can still picture her tacking flyers onto telephone poles a year or so before she became ill .
release date 2008 production date 2007 note originally produced in 2007 . production credits producer , director , editor , ann hershey . format recorded dvd ( ntsc ) .
“spectacularly shot…tillie reading her work will convince you she never left us . the way she wove her social activism with motherhood , aging , teaching and her fiction is an inspiration . ”
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labor historian and folklorist archie green , who did know olsen well , says
she was as good an any writer who emerged from the radical movement at that time .
but green was turned off by what he saw as
an element of self - pity
in her later work and persona and didn ' t buy into the notion that
somehow the world or the system had conspired against her creativity and kept her from writing .
still ,
tillie was true to her culture and her class and she had talent .
olsen ' s search for neglected women writers became the foundation of women ' s studies in colleges and universities across the country . her work broadened the definition of literature , led to the reprinting of books by forgotten authors , and inspired renowned writers including alice walker , ursula le guin , maxine hong kingston , and the former late mills professor of creative writing sheila ballantyne .
women make movies is a multicultural , multiracial , non - profit media arts organization which facilitiates the production , promotion , distribution , and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women . contact us
for those who do not know olsen ' s work , this is a great introduction to the author ' s life as well as an introduction to her written work and its importance to the second wave feminist movement ( s ) . though she was radicalized through her work with socialist and labor movements , the documentary shows her legacy to be her writing about women , especially her collection of short stories
der kalender berühmte frauen erscheint seit über dreißig jahren , er ist der klassiker unter den taschenkalendern und ein unverzichtbares accessoire in jeder hand - und businesstasche . natürlich kennen wir rihanna , popsängerin , modedesignerin und model , oder jeanne moreau , die große bühnen - und filmschauspielerin . aber wer ist thérèse schwartze , die niederländische porträtmalerin , deren 100 . todestag 2018 ansteht ? oder cicely mary strode saunders , eine englische krankenschwester , sozialarbeiterin und ärztin ? sie gilt als die begründerin der modernen hospizbewegung und der palliativmedizin . diese und viele frauen mehr stellt luise f . pusch in ihrem neuen kalender berühmte frauen 2018 vor . monat für monat , tag für tag . dieses mal u . a . nadine angerer , alexandra fjodorowna , sarah kirsch und asta nilsson . eine fundgrube – jeden tag aufs neue .
special collections wmm offers film collections on a variety of specific subject areas , including the collections violence against women : ending the silence , body image , and african - american : celebrate the lives of african - american women . deep discounts are available when you purchase multiple films . more details .
. . . my conflict - to reconcile work with life . . . time it festered and congested postponed deferred and once started up again the insane desire , like an aroused woman… . conscious of the creative abilities within me , more than i can encompass . . . 1953 - 54 : i keep on dividing myself and flow apart , i who want to run in one river and become great… . ( reid 190 ) .
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neil diamond - i am . . . i said ( w / lyrics )
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camera , ann hershey , frances reid , irving saraf ; editor , ann hershey ; original music composed and performed by mary watkins .
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media relations manager phone : 510 . 430 . 2300 email : media @ urltoken
this film screening is co - sponsored by the english department , jewish studies program , and film studies at mills college . more information about the film is available at website www . thetillieolsenfilmproject . com .
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170 . birthday : josephine gratz , graz , geb . schmidt , ( ps . paula wildeck , fides semper )


transamerica is a 2005 american comedy-drama film written and directed by duncan tucker , and starring felicity huffman and kevin zegers .

produced by ifc films and the weinstein company , the film premiered at the berlin international film festival on february 14 , 2005 and was released theatrically in the united states on december 2 , 2005 .

the screenplay , inspired in part by conversations between tucker and his then roommate katherine connella , tells the story of bree , a transgender woman ( huffman ) , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son toby ( zegers ) .

one of the major themes is the personal journey toward self-discovery , according to interviews with the director and actors .

the film is marked by an academy award – nominated and golden globe – winning performance by huffman , who is also known for her performance in desperate housewives .

transamerica ( film )

more information about transamerica can be found at imdb as can a short trailer .
duncan tucker took the screenwriting prize for his transamerica starring felicity huffman as . . .
4 has picked up all international rights to duncan tucker’s road movie transamerica . . .
transamerica took a second golden globe nomination and broadcast film critics nomination for best original song , dolly parton’s ‘travelin’ thru . ’ the film was also nominated for an independent spirit award for best first feature and best first screenplay .
transamerica emerges in 2005 awards season locking up seventeen key nominations and wins – amc networks inc .
“you make the film for its own sake really . you don’t make the film for this reason . it’s just a great bonus . ”
bree and toby do finally end up in los angeles but the film resists a completely ‘happy ever after’ ending . while transamerica tells its story with humour , it does not trivialise any of the big issues at the core of the film .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing transamerica near you .
new recruitment film for medical students . written and directed by dr kamran ahmed .
it was an independent film made on a budget of $ 6 . 5 million ; it was bankrolled by bob yari , another real estate developer turned film producer
the film bowed at the 2005 tribeca film festival and was acquired shortly after the close of the festival by the weinstein company . the film is co - distributed by the weinstein company and ifc films and was released in theaters on december 2 , 2005 premiering at the ifc center in new york . huffman won an acting award at tribeca and the film was also honored at the berlin film festival with a reader jury award .
transamerica posits a journey of a family to find itself , a journey across america as in homer’s odyssey or huckleberry finn .
contentfilm plc announced a raft of sales for its newest acquisition , transamerica , whose star , felicity huffman , received . . .
“transamerica” is nearly ten years old but it is a film that was so far ahead of its time in the treatment of transgender characters that the film world still hasn’t caught up . it truly stands out as the finest u . s . film honoring what it means to transition as an adult . the domestic film business is generally not interested in any portrayal of trans characters and especially not accurate portrayals of trans people . sometimes those of us in underrepresented communities view a film and give it a weight that it might not deserve simply because we’re thrilled to be seeing a version of ourselves reflected back . transamerica is a film that , in my opinion , deserves a second look for everything it did right at a time when transgender issues were not nearly as talked about as they are now .
anyway , transsmerica was a really great , atmospheric and really underrated film . it was sad , touching , somehow strange in some ways and a bit disturbing film . definitely recommended !
huffman ' s performance in transamerica , as a pre - op male - to - female transsexual coping with the sudden emergence of a long - lost son , is much better than the movie it ' s in ; indeed , she singlehandedly takes transamerica to a higher plane .
i . f . c films will partner with the weinstein company to distribute duncan tucker’s hot - button road movie transamerica . . . .
huffman ' s performance redeems parts of the movie but , until the final 30 minutes , transamerica too often feels like a journey to nowhere .
vernon towne theatre - 2910 30th ave . , vernon , bc - home of the vernon film society
sideways turns inside out in transamerica . laugh - out - loud funny , tartly off - color and ultimately touching , this road movie . . .
[ … ] this review highlights some of the problems with the film that we discussed . [ … ]
san francisco — it’s throwback thursday and today i’m looking at transamerica , a film made in 2005 that earned 30 awards including a golden globe for actress felicity huffman and was nominated for 19 others including a best actress oscar for her performance in the film . yet this movie received a great deal of criticism and outrage in the transgender community despite its generally positive portrayal of the lead character , bree .
reviewed at toronto film festival ( special presentation ) , sept . 11 , 2016 . running time : 96 min .
the fifth best director nominee was bennett miller ( with his first nomination ) for his first narrative feature film capote .
transamerica does not use it ' s transgender protaganist to take up gender questions or politics , but rather use it to make a road movie with both humor and emotions .
transamerica sounds like an innocuous title for a movie , right ? it certainly did to dolly parton , who was asked to write a song for the independently produced picture .
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ultimately , transamerica is a movie about relationships , revelations , loss , and healing . the lives of the characters are unusual , but their humanity is universal . transamerica ’s most important message to the larger world about the trans community is that trans folks are human too . transamerica transcends superficial gender lines and reaches deep into the human heart . an audience expecting an educational piece of filmmaking will find itself misinformed . but as a movie with gut - wrenching lessons on the diversity of humanity , this movie succeeds with flying rainbow colors .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
one of the more enjoyable and well - acted movies of the year ,
transamerica
works on many levels mainly due to the performance of felicity huffman . full movie review »
almost everything seen in the movies , print media , or on tv regarding transsexual people is in some way derogatory , sensationalistic , or negatively stereotyped . the movie transamerica is no exception .
minds on film is a monthly blog that explores psychiatric conditions and mental health issues as portrayed in a selection of readily available films .
for anyone wanting to gain a greater empathic understanding of the enormously complex issues facing people who seek to realign their biological sex to match their gender identity , transamerica is a perfect starting point .
jeff hanna of the dirt band first heard about transamerica when the film’s producers were working on musical cues . they sought two of the band’s songs , and hanna — a movie buff — helped smooth some publishing wrinkles . tucker also happened to mention that his first concert was a dirt band show in kansas city in the 1970s .
felicity huffman’s performance is outstanding and won her numerous awards , including the golden globe ( 2006 ) for best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama , two international gay and lesbian film festival awards for best feature film ( 2005 ) as well as an oscar nomination .
hurt was a bit of surprise since he only appears for a few minutes at the end of the film in scene - stealing role .
the best virtual reality from the 2015 sundance film festival : we saw some incredible films during this year’s sundance film festival , but equally important was the explosion of virtual reality experiences . from soaring over san francisco to exploring the streets of syria , vr took us everywhere .
the breakout star of sundance 2015 : technology .
he was right [ david greenbaum , fox searchlight ] . at the festival’s most coveted events , from nicole kidman’s private premiere party to hbo’s documentary film dinner , i consistently heard senior film industry professionals and celebrities discuss birdly - - another virtual reality installation at new frontier - - as often and with the same level of enthusiasm as when referencing any film that premiered .
transsexual people talking about the movie will overwhelmingly say they liked transamerica and that it’s good for the trans community . if you press them , however , they will also note parts they didn’t like . three main critical themes arise—the film’s inaccuracies about the process of transition , its unrealistic stereotyping , and the fact that a transsexual woman did not play the lead role .
2017 queer films challenge week one : a film in which an actor / actress was nominated for or won an oscar for portraying a queer character .
who would expect transamerica - a film about a person who gets stymied just before undergoing sexual - reassignment surgery - to be a comedy ? but it has to be . when dour , methodical stanley / bree is hit with the news that he has a son he never met , it amounts to a hilarious , life - changing
oops !
this kind of material might customarily be given over to doomy gender politics like the preachy and weepy boys don ' t cry . luckily , transamerica defies p . c . sanctimony . as s / b thinks back on his one - time heterosexual liaison , he laments ,
the whole thing was so pathetically lesbian .
from that pseudo - tragic , self - deprecating admission , transamerica becomes the most original american movie comedy this year .
new york , ny ( december 14 , 2005 ) – with felicity huffman’s golden globe nomination , ifc films and the weinstein company’s transamerica has emerged as a major participant in the 2005 awards season . the film , directed by duncan tucker , focuses on the poignant journey of a pre - operative male - to - female transsexual , and has garnered seventeen nominations / awards .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
several films and television programs featuring transgender issues have come to the screen in the last few years . we are adding our firsthand experiences through consultations and our own productions . since soldier’s girl , we’ve also consulted and appeared in the film transamerica , starring felicity huffman , in hbo’s documentary middle sexes , and in the logo network’s documentary beautiful daughters , about our v - day la event .
transamerica is a film about performance and the search for authenticity . we watch , in some detail , the struggle of bree as she tries to pass as a woman . at the same time , we are drawn to the work of the actress , felicity huffman , who must offer us a credible performance as a biological male before she can perform as a transitioning transsexual woman . the film encourages us to reflect upon the performance of gender stereotypical roles that we all learn at an early age and to consider how hard it might be to change those performances .
“i saw a synopsis of it , and i wasn’t sure how those songs were going to fit that subject , ” he says . “when they asked , i didn’t know much about it at all . i just knew somebody wanted to use it . they started telling me who the folks were that had other songs in the film , and i said , ’great ! ’ … then i read a synopsis online of the film , and i thought , ’this is cool . this is an interesting film . ' ”
there are some movie business realities that also played a part in the selection of felicity huffman . the producer and probably a major funder of the film was william h . macy , her husband . this was a relatively inexpensive film to make , but it still cost a few million dollars . at the time the film was made , desperate housewives , huffman’s tv series , was riding the crest of a wave of popularity . she had some star power to draw an audience , and they do make movies for profit .
soy infeliz written by ventura romero performed by lola beltrán used by permission of peer international corp . ( bmi ) courtesy of bmg mexico under license from bmg film & tv music
all film permits must be obtained by the tv crew themselves working directly with the san francisco film commission . the only tv crews that do not require film permits are news crews covering actual news ( such as a press conference , breaking news like a fire , natural disaster , etc . ) . the film commission is sympathetic to the promotional value of other tv crews but has definite guidelines by which they must work . the standard fee is $ 300 per day for unlimited locations , plus the crew must show proof of insurance ( this is fairly standard procedure ) . there may be extra fees depending on what / where / when they want to shot . if they plan carefully , many crews can shoot all they need in one day . the san francisco film commission handles permits for within the city only , not sausalito , marin , berkeley , napa , tahoe , etc .
transamerica was released in 2006 and was written and directed by duncan tucker . it is a road movie whose central character , bree , played by felicity huffman , is a pre - operative male - to - female transsexual , awaiting final gender realignment surgery , who discovers that she has an unknown son called toby . his story forms an important part of the film too , portraying his search to find his father and his roots .
did you see this movie trailer on urltoken the film stars felicity huffman and kevin zegers , and it ' s available in itunes . watch it and tell me what you think .
everything about transamerica is fraught and complicated , yet writer / director duncan tucker somehow creates from these intractable materials a very easy and even happy comedy . and he is helped by felicity huffman , giving one of the funniest , subtlest performances to be seen this year .
i do not recommend this film . if you feel you must consume it in some capacity , may i suggest distilling the essential elements of the experience ? call up the most transmisogynistic person you know and have them talk to you about what they think bottom surgery signifies . while they talk , look at pictures of kevin zegers looking wounded and hot , and listen to “travellin’ thru” in one headphone . all of the transamerica with none of the hassle !
fish song written by jimmie fadden performed by the nitty gritty dirt band published by emi unart catalog inc . ( bmi ) courtesy of capitol records under license from emi film & television music
transamerica tells the story of bree ( felicity huffman ) , a conservative transsexual woman who takes an unexpected journey when she learns that when she was a he , she fathered a son ( kevin zegers ) , now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of new york .
that
transamerica ,
written and directed by duncan tucker , works as a film is because bree is so persistently and patiently herself . if she had been wilder , stranger , more extroverted , the movie might fly off the rails . it is precisely because she is so conventionally sincere that the movie gathers power in deep places while maintaining a relative surface calm . how does she respond to the undeniable interest of calvin two goats ? reader , she blushes .
david crary , “’brokeback’ praise elates gay - rights advocates : some conservatives hope groundbreaking film fails at box office , ” the desert sun , 19 february 2006 , p . b - 13 .
i don’t even remember much but i became soooo angry watching this film , and i still am : it is so offensive . trans women are literally the punch line , but it’s worse than ace ventura for example , bcs apparently the film - makers and critics thought this movie portrayed trans ppl as positive ( ? ? ? ! ! ! ! ¿¿¡¡ ) . what the actual fuck .
i really loved this film . . . . . . great performances and as many have said . . . . this should have been an oscar for the lead . . . . . .
[ … ] it must be acknowledged that the conversation is being held , which is huge . eleven years ago , a film called transamerica came out and was nominated for a two oscars , including best actress to felicity huffman for playing pre - op mtf transgendered person , bree . now , and please , please , send me links if you have information otherwise , but i can’t seem to find any real condemnation of this casting until 2012 , on bitchflicks . [ … ]
the best picture winner was a major upset sleeper film - crash ( with 6 nominations and three wins , also for best film editing and director paul haggis ' best original screenplay ) - it was an ensemble film about racism involving whites , blacks , latinos , koreans , and iranians that was centered around a killing in los angeles which might have been racially motivated . its tagline was :
moving at the speed of life , we are bound to collide with each other .
for two consecutive years , therefore , the best picture winner was set in los angeles ( the previous year ' s winner was million dollar baby ( 2004 ) ) . [ note : some noted its aggressive studio campaign that sent pre - release dvds of the film to nearly every person involved in the motion picture industry - - possibly a new trend in future marketing campaigns . reportedly , lions gate films spent $ 4 million promoting a film that cost only about $ 6 . 5 million to make . ]
tags : adventure , cissexist , comedy , drama , felicity huffman , guest writers , lgbtqi week , mainstream misogyny , stephen ira , theme month , transamerica , transgender , transphobia bookmark the permalink . follow comments with the rss feed for this post . both comments and trackbacks are closed .
philip seymour hoffman , the best - actor favorite for his remarkable embodiment of capote , joined ledger in the best - actor category . hoffman has triumphed at earlier film honors , including the golden globes .
the best - actress race presumably will shape up as a two - woman contest between huffman in a gender - bending role as a man about to undergo sex - change surgery in “transamerica” and witherspoon as singer june carter , cash’s musical companion and future wife , in “walk the line . ”
the adaptation of best - seller j . k . rowling ' s harry potter and the goblet of fire ( with only 1 nomination , best art direction ) - the fourth harry potter film in five years
the golden globe best actress nomination follows huffman’s national board of review win for best actress , a nomination for an independent spirit award for female lead , the broadcast film critics nomination for best actress and hollywood life magazine’s “breakthrough of the year award . ” the emmy award winning actress was also honored at a number of local and international film festivals including tribeca , berlin , frameline , woodstock , mill valley and fort lauderdale .
in a year that saw mainstream audiences embrace queer - themed films such as capote , transamerica , and of course , brokeback mountain , one might wonder if lgbt ( lesbian , gay , bi - , and transgender ) film festivals are still relevant . our response is a resounding yes ! we boldly assert that outfest is more relevant than ever . a queer film revolution is blossoming from the seeds outfest has been planting for decades . we have provided a platform for queer filmmakers to tell their stories for 24 years . the fact that mainstream audiences are finally discovering that we have remarkable , particular and surprisingly universal tales to tell produces a ray of hope and stiffins our determination to keep on telling our brave , transformative stories . ( 25 )
i find jesus written by james ibbotson performed by the nitty gritty dirt band published by unami music , administered by bug music , inc . ( ascap ) courtesy of capitol records under license from emi film & television music
typical with the marketing of newly released movies , clips from positive film reviews were used in the print media for brokeback mountain , of which the following are a sample . these ads ran in the new york times :
yet in spite of enforcing stereotypes and utilizing disinformation , transamerica is a movie that does more good than harm , because it is well - written , well - acted , and humanizes the rarefied main characters . good fiction is driven by believable characters who experience real - life conflicts , things that everyone can identify with .
with key prizes at earlier hollywood honors , “brokeback mountain” heads into the march 5 awards as the best - picture front - runner , potentially the first film with explicit homosexual themes to claim the grand prize at the oscars .
this gimmick mystifies me–what’s it trying to say ? that at the beginning of the movie bree looks one way , but at the end she transforms from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan ? because she doesn’t . at the film’s end , she looks more or less the same , which in itself contradicts the rest of the film’s logic . according to the cis concept of how surgery works , one is not a real woman before and is a real woman afterward . transamerica supports this narrative in which a trans woman goes under the knife and comes out a different person–bree’s whole raison d’être is obtaining surgery , and at one point she actually says , and i quote , “jesus made me this way so i could suffer and be reborn the way he wanted me . ”
you know julia serano’s seminal trans feminist text , whipping girl ? you know those machines from cartoons where they’d put the good guy in and the evil version of him would come out ? transamerica is what you get when you put whipping girl into one of those machines . in her book , serano talks about the scenes in media featuring trans women where the trans women put on makeup , clothes , breast forms , and how those scenes exist to remind cis people that trans women are not “real . ” well , transamerica fulfills its trans woman putting on lipstick quota within the first twenty minutes , so you know this is a quality production .
transsexuals aren ' t really a group of people that i can say i understand , but transamerica did a pretty good job of helping me get what a trans person might go through . felicity huffman plays bree , a pre - op transsexual woman who finds out she has a son that she fathered a long time ago . what ensues is a kind of road movie that shows how the relationship between that son and her develops . what really makes this film stand out is the excellent lead performance by felicity huffman who , despite being a woman , did a great job of portraying a pre - op transsexual . maybe they could have gone with an actual trans person , but felicity huffman did just fine . i also thought the supporting cast did great as well . what didn ' t always work for me was some of the humor and situations that bree and her son were put into . due to being a road movie , the film also felt a bit episodic at times . and , when they arrive at bree ' s parents ' home the film got a little too melodramatic for my tastes . my favorite part of the film came before this part when bree meets a kind native american man in a bar after having her car stolen . he was able to see past bree ' s exterior to what she was on the inside : a nice person deserving of respect just like everyone else . and i suppose if the film has a message that it wants to convey , it ' s that trans people are just as human as the rest of us and deserve the same respect afforded to everyone else who is
normal .
overall , i did enjoy the film although it goes some places dramatically that it didn ' t necessarily have to go . i don ' t really see this film having too wide of an audience , but this indie gem is well worth seeing nevertheless .
in addition to huffman , the cast includes kevin zegers , fionnula flanagan , elizabeth pena and graham green . william h . macy exec produced the film with linda moran , rene bastian and sebastian dungan producing through the belladonna label .
since there are so few films that have featured transgender characters , the academic writing on the topic is limited . it is worth noting that almost all representation in narrative feature film focuses on transgender women . cis men often play trans women on film but in transamerica felicity huffman was cast in the role of bree , who is a trans woman . this was an excellent casting choice that offered a legitimacy to the film and gave filmgoers the opportunity to see a woman embody the role as opposed to what so often happens , a male actor in bad drag who doesn’t capture what trans really is or means . transamerica brings up several topics related to transition itself that i think are very much worth discussing because they directly relate to why trans representation of mtf transgender people is often problematic in a way that is different than ftms . when someone “successfully” transitions from male to female they are considered to “pass” ( which means to be read as female by the public ) and sometimes choose to live “stealth” ( which means to be private about their status as a trans person ) . i don’t want to go too far into the wide spectrum of gender and gender identity being embraced by younger people transitioning , and i am not claiming to speak for all trans people , but generally a successful transition consists of being read as the gender you are transitioning to . the terminology is a sensitive topic and many people do not like the term “passing” as it feels deceitful to them , but in my opinion “passing” does truly convey the feeling of being read correctly in public . bree mentions being stealth in the film but what does that mean exactly for a trans woman ?
the best director winner was veteran director ang lee for brokeback mountain ( he was previously nominated for directing and producing the foreign - language film crouching tiger , hidden dragon ( 2000 ) - the best foreign language film winner ! ) . he was notable for being the first asian ( or non - white ) filmmaker to win the top film - making honor . the only other nominated veteran director was six - time best director - nominated and two - time best director winner steven spielberg , for munich - - ( previously winning three oscars : best director for best picture - winning schindler ' s list ( 1993 ) and best director for saving private ryan ( 1998 ) ) . spielberg was also nominated for producing munich .
another topic that the film didn’t shy away from is the juxtaposition of becoming who you feel you are after having effectively lied about it up until you transition . to a certain degree , trans people are forced to keep everyone at a distance because the fear of the true identity being discovered and the intense self - hatred one feels for being so different is overwhelming . it’s easier to remain closed off , not being forced to deal with the truth , and keeping everyone at an arm’s length because they can’t know the real person you are . the beauty of transamerica is that this is shown visually as opposed to the audience being told . truthfully , this isn’t something that can be conveyed easily with words and it was very smart of the filmmaker to show it visually as opposed to scripting it for the therapy sessions in the film .
transamerica
stars felicity huffman as a man who feels compelled to become a woman . the surgery is only a week away when sabrina ( bree , for short ) learns that 17 years ago she fathered a son . margaret , her therapist , was under the impression that as a man named stanley , her client was a virgin .
there
production : ( canada ) a saban films release ( u . s . ) of an sbs films presentation of a lone wolf film production . ( international sales : the solution entertainment group , hollywood . ) produced by said ben said , michel merkt .
a trans woman finds much that’s wrong with the felicity huffman film that’s now available on dvd : its science is inaccurate , its wardrobe outdated , and its stereotyping frequent . but for all that , there’s still something about the movie that touches the heart .
there are various themes . brilliant marketing pitched the movie as a love story and a western , two genres well ingrained in middle american tastes . women dragged nervous husbands and boyfriends to see a film where the women could enjoy…heath ledger and jake gyllenhaal , and the men could admire the scenery . blue state liberals felt it some kind of social duty to see the film . gays and lesbians flocked . the media hyped the ‘gay cowboy’ movie and it generated more and more publicity , and thereby curiosity and thereby tickets .
… i’m flying a few hundred feet above the transamerica building in san francisco , just a few blocks north of my office . as i tilt my wings down , the wind rushes my face and i feel that unmistakable drop in my stomach . i glance to my right , catching a glimpse of my brown feathers , as i can feel my arms tire . no , i haven’t sprouted wings , and i’m not really in san francisco . but there are moments during “birdly” — a virtual - reality flight simulator at the sundance film festival’s new frontier exhibition in park city , utah — when my mind actually feels tricked .
transamerica focuses on bree ( felicity huffman ) , a born - again christian and a pre - operative male - to - female transsexual , who flies to new york after she discovers she has a son from an unlikely encounter . greeting the boy in the guise of a christian missionary , bree attempts to deliver him to his stepfather while on their way back to los angeles .
gary demos received the honorary gordon e . sawyer award for his pioneering cgi work in such films as tron ( 1982 ) and the last starfighter ( 1984 ) . he had won three technical awards in 1984 , 1994 and 1995 for his revolutionary work in film .
this was my favorite film of the tribeca festival . felicity huffman ' s performance is incredible and grabs you from the first scene . it was a smart , poignant and funny film . some of the characters are too thinly drawn , some of the humor too inappropriately broad but those were minor issues for me . though rooted in some ways in standard plot devices , the transgender protagonist makes all the difference in the world . which , in a way , is kind of the point - - how we view people ' s differences ( with acceptance or disdain ) says a lot about who we are . of course , it played well here in new york city . but what about the rest of bush ' s america ? by the way , i was told that lions gate picked up the film for distribution .
also , it ' s a road trip movie . and there ' s something kind of magical about those that always manages to captivate me . there are limited road trip hijinks , though , and the film really just focuses on huffman ' s bree connecting with toby , the…
one of the biggest complaints that trans people often have about their representation in film is that their narrative is one of tragedy . trans people often portray sex workers , murder victims , or murderers . silence of the lambs is often called out as a prime example of an offensive portrayal as the character buffalo bill thinks they are trans . this is disputed in the film itself . whichever way you cut it , it’s an incredibly unflattering portrayal . pedro almodovar is fond of depicting trans women as sex workers though , to be fair , he also gives them quality roles as well . of course , the story of brandon teena , while true , is still the classic “trans as victim” story . the depiction of a normal person who happens to be trans is woefully underrepresented . perhaps this is why transamerica stands out so much . in an interview with robert newton on moviefone , duncan tucker , the screenwriter and director , states , “so many people think the movie is going to be one of two things : something campy and silly or a dark cross - country trek in which the main character gets beat up . it’s just so not either one of those . hopefully you’ll laugh more than cry , because it really is joyous – or at least i hope it is – and not grueling and dark . ” i completely agree with tucker’s assessment of his film and would go one step further and suggest that it is the only american film that has told a truly honorable story about what it is to be trans .
another excellent portion of the film consists of bree returning to her hometown of phoenix . often for trans people , coming out to family members , especially parents , is the most difficult part of coming out . the lgbtq community’s members are known for making their own family , some out of necessity and some out of the desire to be fully understood and accepted for who they are . bree claimed that her family was dead earlier in the film and once we are introduced to her family , we see why . as peter caster and allison andrew have put it :
“i thought it was about a couple traveling across america in an rv , ” parton says . “i thought , ’ transamerica . … oh yeah , traveling across . ’ but then when i found out what it was , i had to really think , ’well , now this is serious . i’ve got to take this serious . i’ve got to figure out how i’m going to make this work . ' ”
with trans issues recently having entered mainstream discourse , certainly not every fictive treatment need be as nuanced as oscar - nominated “transamerica” or emmy - winning “transparent . ” still , nobody — not even viewers willing to settle for good , unclean b - movie fun — is done any favors by something as crude as “ ( re ) assignment , ” which gracelessly mashes together hardboiled crime - melodrama cliches and [ … ]
although movie characters who are transgender have been rewarded with oscar nominations , including jared leto in “dallas buyers club , ” hilary swank in “boys don’t cry” and felicity huffman in “transamerica , ” all the actors behind these performances are cisgender . “this is the time for it , ” duplass says of the academy nominating a transgender actor for playing a transgender part . “we’re in the middle of a civil rights movement . ”
for the first time in the short history of the best animated feature film category , none of the three nominees were cgi films , although that could be accounted for since pixar ( winner of last year ' s award for the incredibles ( 2004 ) ) took the year off . all three were only moderately successful , scarcely making $ 100 million in total . the winner was : aardman animation ' s second feature - length ' claymation ' and first feature - length wallace and gromit film from co - directors nick park and steve box ( with this being his third oscar win ) - wallace & gromit in the curse of the were - rabbit , about eccentric , cheese - loving inventor wallace ( voice of peter sallis ) and his faithful mute dog assistant gromit . this was the first stop - motion / ' claymation ' film to win the best animated feature award .
the film stars ledger and gyllenhaal as western roughnecks who share a summer of love while tending sheep together in the 1960s , then carry on a lifelong romance they conceal from their families . williams co - stars as ledger’s wife , who overlooks her husband’s affair to try to hold her family together .
cissexist ideas are built into the structure of transamerica . i’ve criticized the trope of the “journey” before in cis narratives of trans lives–cis people love to tell us about our trans “journey . ” they love asking how it’s going , telling us how much they support us in it , that whole party line . now , this movie is literally about a woman going on a cross country road trip so that she can get bottom surgery–and thus , within the film’s cissexist logic , become a “real woman . ” she has to do this because she’s got a kid from an affair back when she was still presenting as male , and in order to satisfy her therapist that she’s ready to get surgery , she needs to deposit this kid on the west coast .
the bouncy , uplifting anthem accompanies the film’s closing credits and prompted parton’s second oscar nomination — 1980’s “9 to 5” was the first — for best original song . in addition to countless promotional appearances lately , she’ll also perform the song on the sunday ( march 5 ) on the 78th annual academy awards show .
another major complaint was that a transgender actress didn’t play the part of bree , though two transgender women did consult and make cameo appearances , andrea james and calpernia addams . it would have been nice if the lead was a trans woman , but the critical reception of the film testifies to the quality of huffman’s performance . the transition she made in the film was greater than her gender identity ; it changed who she was . she became confident ; she took actions to correct mistakes made in her previous existence . she emerged a better person in many ways . it was without doubt a positive portrayal of a transgender woman .
“anyone who would complain vr isn’t interactive enough should first try birdly . it’s a thrilling simulation of a flight over san francisco . . . with your arms spread wide , an oculus on your face , and headphones on your ears , you find yourself soaring over the city’s downtown , flapping your wings to gain altitude . it’s a calming , meditative experience — at least until you find yourself crashing into the transamerica pyramid . immersive and exciting , birdly
“felicity huffman’s tour de force performance as bree is blindingly brilliant and is sure to be one of the most admired screen performances this year , ” commented ifc entertainment president jonathan sehring . “we are thrilled to be working with the weinstein company on this thoughtful film and delighted for this truly gifted actress and visionary director . ”
this is all new for her , too . what felicity huffman brings to bree is the newness of a jane austen heroine . she has been waiting a long time to be an ingenue , and what an irony that she must begin as a mother . but she is a good person to the bottom of her socks , and at the end of
transamerica ,
you realize it was not about sex at all . it was about family values .
following its spectacular reception at the 2005 tribeca film festival , this extraordinary road - trip - comedy tells the story of bree ( felicity huffman ) , a prim , prudish and persnickety male - to - female transsexual , who , after years of saving money , is only a week away from her final sexual - reassignment surgery .
it had the lowest best picture theatrical gross total ( $ 53 . 4 million ) since best picture - winning the last emperor ( 1987 ) ( at $ 44 million ) , while favored nominee brokeback mountain had over twice the box - office results at $ 120 million worldwide ( the highest grossing film of the five nominees )
a story full of reality , that never becames fantastic or far from what could really happen to a man who is finding the happiness by changing his gender . a psychological flow tha takes us , with sabrina
bree
, the protagonist of the story , to the rediscovery of parental sense . what is really amazing in
transamerica
is that , initially , the same parental sense was almost hated and seen as an obstacol for the final happiness , but then , after the travel ,
bree
( and us ) discovers that the real happiness in exactly in that boy , toby . phenomenal actors , a good photography and a story with no mistakes ! a film that should also be seen for discredit the stereotypes attributed to the transgenders and to understand the difficulties and weakness of the same .
before huffman can look plausibly trans , she has to be uglified , and that uglification interests me . the trouble with casting an actual trans person is that we don’t necessarily look like what tucker has decided he needs a transsexual to look like , but a cis person–tucker can make her look as hideous as he likes , all in the name of realism ! when transamerica came out in 2005 , you may remember how much of the press revolved around the character’s ugliness . felicity huffman laughed about how deprecating it was to have to wear all that ugly makeup in interview after interview . in character , she’s caked with goop designed to make her look “trans , ” a word which here means , “a little bit manly and a lot aesthetically unpleasant . ” in the best example of the film’s “come see our movie about a hideous transsexual” school of publicity , the us dvd cover is holographic : tilt it one way , and you have huffman looking red carpet ready , but tilt it the other and you have her as she appears in the film , frumpy and square - jawed . ( memo for your edification : trans women are frumpy . duncan tucker told me . )
adds eamonn bowles , the president of magnolia pictures , which acquired “tangerine” out of sundance in january : “the trans aspect will undoubtedly garner the film attention , but frankly the best strategy is to get as many voters to see it as possible , ” he says . “it stands alone among the contenders in its tone , aspirations and achievement . ”
with trans issues recently having entered mainstream discourse , certainly not every fictive treatment need be as nuanced as oscar - nominated “transamerica” or emmy - winning “transparent . ” still , nobody — not even viewers willing to settle for good , unclean b - movie fun — is done any favors by something as crude as “ ( re ) assignment , ” which gracelessly mashes together hardboiled crime - melodrama cliches and an unintentionally funny “oh no ! i’m a chick now ! ! ” gender - change narrative hook .
hand - drawn honors and for the first time since the animated feature film category was added in 2001 that no nominees were made using computer - generated imagery . the nominees : the hand - drawn “howl’s moving castle , ” and the stop - motion films “tim burton’s corpse bride” and “wallace & gromit in the curse of the were - rabbit . ”
the first film by duncan tucker , transamerica stars felicity huffman as a pre - operative transsexual named bree ( whose given name was stanley ) . one week before going under the knife , bree learns that she fathered a boy who is now 17 and is in trouble with the law . bree would like to ignore this information , but is forced to meet the young man , toby ( played by kevin zegers ) , by her analyst margaret ( elizabeth peña ) , who will not allow the surgery to happen unless bree meets him and confronts this aspect of her past . upon meeting , the son believes that bree is simply a do - gooder . she buys a car and the two road - trip back to her home in los angeles , bree all the while attempting to keep from toby the truth of the situation . ~ perry seibert , rovi
there are no rvs in transamerica . however , the two main characters do take a cross - country trip from new york city to los angeles . bree is a socially awkward , middle - aged pre - operative man - to - woman transsexual , and toby is a very attractive 17 - year - old street hustler whose goals are to work in gay porn and to meet his real father . but toby doesn’t realize bree is his father . toby was conceived while bree was living as a man .
not sure how the movie would be received by the viewing public , and concern about whether - or - not there would be a backlash against the homosexual content of the movie , distributors were uncertain at first as how to release the film . initially the idea was to limit its release to markets in los angeles , new york city and san francisco . but with the immediate strong critical acclaim and an apparent audience motivated to see the film , brokeback mountain soon spread to suburban outlets and larger cities across the country . one such test market , the suburban community of pleasant hill outside of san francisco , was selected where it was reported that on the first day of screening , “there was a line at the box office , and the film started 15 minutes late so everyone could be seated . even more striking was the crowd – largely seniors and middle - aged women . ” so not only was the movie selling out in the heart of suburbia , the audience appeared to be more diverse than expected , including “being older , straighter and more conservative . ” further , the movie appeared to be “not only an art - house favorite or a cultural statement or a milestone in filmmaking , ( but ) a bonafide hit making money in places , and with audiences , that make an east bay movie house look like the cannes film festival . ” ( 9 ) according to jack foley , president of distribution for focus features which handled the overall release of the film , the movie was “a cultural landmark like the graduate or pulp fiction , movies that everyone uses as a reference to a specific time period . ” foley also attributed a key crowd as being the senior matinee audience who “go to a lot of movies , and they like good movies . ” ( 10 )
transamerica wins you round by declining to grandstand on sexual or political issues , by not banging any drum in bree ' s cause , by not demanding victim status for bree or making authentication of her new sexual identity a condition of finding her attractive or sympathetic . ( incidentally , an agnostic attitude on these issues is traditionally signalled by the journalist sticking to the transsexual ' s name and finding ingenious and supercilious ways of not using the male or female pronoun . i can ' t be bothered with it . )
however , she woke up one morning in detroit and the song flowed out of her . she called tucker , who also happened to be in detroit screening an early cut of the film . after singing him the song on her bus , she recorded a demo on the spot . a longtime country fan , tucker also happily accepted the invitation to attend the nashville recording session .
no permits are required to shoot on private property so it is often helpful to look for a private location to shoot
public
areas . for example , pier 39 , which is private property , provides very good footage of both the golden gate and bay bridges , the bay , alcatraz , sea lions , boats , etc . they are also very receptive to working with film crews .