Just Charlie - Diventa chi sei

Harry Gilby is a revelation!

There's a meme going around on the Internet (I know, I know, I'm down with the kids!) ... "If someone shows you who they are, believe them". It's usually used in a negative sense; i.e: 'if someone displays negative traits, then don't doubt your instinct' ... but I say that this maxim can also be turned into a positive - if somebody TELLS you who they are, believe them. It doesn't cost the individual anything to accept people as they describe themselves, even when that means disregarding how society thinks they ought to be.

I felt a little bit queasy about the film seeming to use violence as some kind of 'twist' - and even somewhat angry that I as a viewer had been manipulated into feeling emotion, only to have the rug yanked out from underneath me... It seemed cheap, in a way that the rest of the film wasn't, and to my mind, represented a late miscalculation in what is otherwise a fantastic film

The story is really good. It convincingly tells the psychological journey of Charlie and family. The struggles, pain and love are all so beautifully portrayed. I was very touched by the film. I loved it.

What this film may lack in budget it certainly makes up for in heart. Superb acting from everyone involved, especially from the actor playing Charlie.

The movie starts during a period that is sensitive to all transgender children and captures Charlie's troubles with her changing body and restricting choices very well. Charlie is unique for a transgender girl in a movie in that she still likes to do "boyish" things.

It is a must see for most people since it provides much needed education in this matter.

I'm just going to touch on the ending. Many people say it shouldn't have been included, but I disagree. Whilst I didn't like it, I think it was necessary. A young person in a similar situation may see this film and learn from it. Without that ending, they may make the same mistake. Kids can be cruel, and that shouldn't be overlooked.

I think it's a very well written film that shows the day to day problems a young trans person may face.

I was in a very dark place when I was younger, and watching 'Beautiful Thing' changed my life. This film is a gem, and I hope it will do for others what Beautiful Thing did for me.

10/10

Just Charlie (2017) is an English film directed by Rebekah Fortune. Harry Gilby plays Charlie Lyndsay, a teenager who is a superior football (soccer) player at his school. He's so skilled that he's already being recruited by a major football team. Life is good, but it isn't.

Charlie realizes that she is really a girl trapped in a boy's body. She's not gay, but rather has what is now called gender dsyphoria. This would be hard enough without football, but it's worse for Charlie because she really wants to play football, although she wants to play on the women's team.

The complications of this situation--with parents, with friends, with coaches, and with the public--are predictable. A complication that's not mentioned in the film is that Charlie is a superb player on the boys' team. He will be unbeatable on a girl's team. Is this fair to the other girls--his teammates and the young women on the opposing teams?

Harry Gilby, as Charlie, is an excellent actor. You can believe that his gender identity is female, and you can believe that he has the courage to openly address his situation, rather than conceal it. That's what makes the movie interesting and worth seeing.

We saw this film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of ImageOut, the superb LGBT Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen. The screening at ImageOut was the East Coast premiere of this movie. Hats off to the Programming Committee for bring this film to Rochester.