Be Like Others

PARK CITY

Homosexuality is illegal in the Islamic Republic of Iran - a crime punishable by death. But... Sex changes are completely legal. In fact, the state will pay for half the cost of the procedure. However, you have to first go through six to twelve months of psychiatric evaluation to determine if you really are trapped in a body of the gender opposite to that which you feel you are. It turns out, perhaps not surprisingly, that semantics are very important here. If the psychiatrist determines that you are a transsexual, you're cleared for gender reassignment surgery. However, if the psychiatrist determines that you simply are attracted to members of the same sex, you're a homosexual and thus pretty much sentenced to death. Still, many men and women are eager to go through the process because if successful, it will mean you're legally allowed to be "involved" with members of your former sex, wear clothes appropriate to your new gender and are generally you're much more accepted by society.

Problem is... There are many people who are trying to change their gender simply to avoid being labeled a homosexual. This creates all kinds of problems as their formerly same-sex relationships fall apart after gender reassignment and things aren't as rosy as they expected.

Be Like Others ultimately follows several men as they go through the reassignment process with high hopes, only to find that things aren't what they expected. It's a hugely fascinating process that you never expected from a country like Iran.

Unfortunately, once you take away the subject matter, the film falls flat and never manages to express any passion of the subject. Narration is dry and the story is without much of an arc. Ultimately you leave the film with so many questions that should have been answered, you feel as if you really just scraped the surface. This theme was continued through the Q&A following the screening as a gauntlet of raised hands with burning questions mostly netted "I don't know" responses from the director, who appeared to have approached the whole project without much research, passion or even interest. While documentary filmmakers must remain open to all sides of a story and let the subject speak for itself, a strong film absolutely requires a point of view. Be Like Others came close a few times to expressing a view, but the Q&A made it pretty clear that there wasn't much of one if any. Too bad, since a hugely political subject like this could really have made for a powerfully moving piece. I'd recommend the film for it's subject matter in the same way I'd recommend a run-of-the-mill PBS special on the African Serengeti for those merely interested in watching a day in the life of lions.

I'm currently waiting in line for the premier of U2 3D, one of my more anticipated screenings of the fest. At least this year Sundance sprung for a heated tent to wait in outside of Eccles so we're not stuck out in the 10 degree cold for an hour like we were last year.