TransGeneration (Documentary TV Series)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Episodes: B
The most oppressed segment of the population is easily of
persons who are indecisive of who they are sexually, where they are going with
their sexual identity and where they are going with their future in a world so
plastered over by lies about sex (now more than ever) that integrating into
society in any way becomes extremely frustrating. TransGeneration (2005) is a groundbreaking new series
about several persons in this situation, showing these rarely seen members of
our society just trying to get along like anyone else.
There are eight episodes here and they are more compelling
than expected. I am no fan of any
surgery whatsoever, plastic or otherwise, so the idea of using surgery on top
of hormones to achieve the opposite gender is something to take very
seriously. Some of the persons here are
doing just that. Changing anything so
permanently as one’s body is something that needs to be taken with the utmost
seriousness and the persons here intending to do so seem to be doing just that.
By just showing the lives lived, you wonder why we are so
brainwashed to be so judgmental to begin with, but that is the way
institutionalized homophobia works like its equivalent in racism, sexism or
other oppressive ideologies. Many will
automatically shy away from such a show, but it is easily one of the best of
its kind on TV and at a time of so much hate and lies, a light at the end of
the tunnel for more than just the featured persons. TransGeneration has heart and soul, something TV is
desperately lacking.
The 1.33 X 1 image is good for a documentary show, but the
transfer here is very watchable and the Dolby Digital 2.0 is simple stereo at
best. Even the music offers limited
surrounds of any kind. Extras are few,
but you get over 19 minutes of extended and deleted scenes, plus trailers for
four other interesting Docurama releases on DVD.
- Nicholas Sheffo
