anne-536

Not so bad in the overall for a standard length movie. Certainly the scenery is great and the sound and editing are well done. Some of the main and secondary characters are a bit weak, given the dialog they must work with. It's hard to believe that for so many years the rulers of the City could not find the Smoke, especially with their advanced technology.

But isn't this a condensed version of The Hunger Games series. Katniss learned that the rulers and those who want to replace them are just fighting for control; and control, be it by one group or another, is still control. The ultimate condition is freedom and liberty, which they promise but never give up.

I did not read the book, so I judge on the film only with no comparison to deal with.

I liked this film a lot, though I only gave it 50% because of the weak cinematography and sets. It reminded me a lot of my own trials and struggles in the path to the woman I am today - that was a long time ago, but my memories are vivid, as I believe any trans woman would say.

The filmmaker did a great job in bringing us inside the head of this particular girl, especially given the character is only 15 turning 16. Victor Polster did a great job to put forth her problems and desires so well, without making his character say so much; it's in her facial expressions which Victor protrayed so well.

Surprising is finding after viewing that the actor in Lara's role was not an actor, but a dancer. The struggles with the bodily pain of ballet practice, together with the pain involved in showing as a female was very well performed.

Seen on DVD. Here I am at the beginning, thinking that this story will go somewhere and seeing good actors laying out a reasonable plot. But the more they exposed their characters, the more I started shouting at the screen to 'get real!'. The male lead, David, seemed like a 'normal' guy at first, but he became more unbelievable as the movie went on. Who would really act like that!? He's got this attractive partner who wants him sexually, and he can't get it up. Yet, there he is, only minutes later in the movie wanking off to some swinger ad. Oh, come on!

What he gets away with doing at the swinger club in the end is not believable - the club would never have let that happen (and we viewers should know that), yet we are shown a preposterous scene just to get to the end of the movie/plot where they 'live happily ever after'.

I only wonder: is this anything like the book? or, have the filmmakers left out important plot points?