Mala Mala: A Transformative Documentary

This film follows a disparate group of trans people in San Juan, PR, as they struggle to define their identities and gain acceptance from the larger society. Some of the women are involved in prostitution and others perform in nightclubs, but most are obsessed with their bodies and aspire to outsize notions of feminine voluptuousness. They exhibit a defensive bravado that belies their fears and insecurities. As a counterpoint to these young trans women, viewers meet an older woman who rejects the exaggerated and performative aspects of the trans culture and a trans man who feels even more marginalized than his male-to-female counterparts. Trans visibility and trans rights are the new forefront of the LGBT movement, but this film, though well intentioned, lacks a clear focus and fails to add much to the discussion.