An intriguing look at sex and celebrity, this richly textured documentary filled with drag queens and Hollywood glitterati is actually a serious movie about transgendered life. Well known as a drag performer and an underground cartoonist, Alexis Arquette has also appeared in over 60 films, including Pulp Fiction, The Wedding Singer and Lords of Dogtown. By agree- ing to make this film, Arquette's goal was straightforward: document her last year as a legal and biological male. The film does quite a bit more. Following Alexis as she prepares for her sex reassignment surgery, director Matthew Barbato and co-director Nikki Parrott throw caution to the wind, crafting a free-form, very unique film that portrays gender as fluid and shows Alexis to be eloquent, creative and clever. This candid and illuminating documentary about gender identity features a personality who is as entertaining as she is painfully honest, whether recalling an unorthodox youth in a Virginia commune, exploits as a go-go dancer in London, or opening up about her hard-partying L.A. lifestyle. Throughout, Alexis's sex reassignment process is treated with dignity, respect and a refreshing sense of humor. We see Alexis make decisions about hormones and breast size, and the camera follows Alexis into therapy when she receives her final letter of approval for surgery. We also see a lot of driving. Alexis is a serious Southern California drone whose life sometimes appears to exist entirely behind the wheel going from somewhere to somewhere else. But the film never meanders. It follows a direct line from Alexis' planning to her new life as a woman, a transgender advocate and a complex human being,

Directed by

Nikki Parrott and Matthew Barbato