Disclosure

Now showing on Netflix is one of the most important documentaries made this century: Disclosure. The film examines the history of portrayals of trans people in Hollywood over the past century (or more). Led by a brilliant team of interview subjects (or commentators), Disclosure reveals the countless ways Hollywood has failed the trans community with its dehumanizing portrayals. Early on, the presence of a trans woman (or often a man pretending to be a woman or dressed like a woman) in film and TV was used as a way to get a quick laugh. Later, trans people became the focus of violence (portrayed as either violent people or inevitable victims of violence). With The Crying Game, vomiting became a standard response of characters in film/TV to the discovery that a woman was trans. In almost all cases, until very recently, trans women were played by either men or cis women (e.g. Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, Felicity Huffman in Transamerica). Only recently have trans women like Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) and Daniela Vega (A Fantastic Woman) played trans women in films and TV.

As Disclosure points out, the power of these various portrayals on young people who are transitioning (or considering it) has been huge. That alone makes Disclosure a critical contribution for the trans community, one which will no doubt help a large number of people feel better about who they are. But it’s equally important to those of us who are not part of the trans community. Not only does Disclosure serve to normalize the presence of trans women and trans men, it provides an incredibly entertaining yet enlightening introduction to the way the trans community has been treated (very badly) for most of history.

The balance between the expert commentary and the many film/TV clips is perfect. Especially insightful are the contributions by Cox and Jen Richards, but there are many more voices, all of them eloquent and heartfelt.

Disclosure isn’t quite perfect. The last third of the film focuses almost entirely on this century’s TV shows and misses an opportunity to highlight the many ways trans people have been portrayed in film during the past decade (both positively and negatively). An example would be a possible interview with Vega. For a documentary that spends so much time on film during its first sixty minutes, this seems like an oversight, especially as I felt some of the time spent on TV shows during the last half hour was less impactful than other parts of the documentary. The focus on American TV  (and films), while a product of the film’s Hollywood theme, was, for me, unfortunate. I would like to have seen a broader story.

Nevertheless, Disclosure gets a solid **** for providing a captivating and intelligent story that is desperately needed at a time when trans people are being murdered or assaulted in record numbers. Don’t miss the chance to watch this film, and don’t shy away from letting your teenage children watch it with you. My mug is up.