Michelle Rodriguez to Star in Gender-Reassignment Revenge Thriller

[Olas]

It's a movie people, calm down.

snip

If you think people are so bad, that is your burden to bear, but it's an ignorant opinion. People are far more accepting of alternate lifestyles than people like give them credit for. If you don't see that, that is on you. I never said there were hurdles to go over, or problems to fix, but to say what you say wreaks of ignorance of the significant changes that have occurred only the last 30 years.

Considering that I have gay and lesbian friends who have lost jobs and housing for their sexuality, considering that I was slowly tortured to keep a job because I was out as trans before my identification caught up to me... That very situation lost me my job... Oh and it being illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality, or really anything else in housing and work? Well guess what? That requires taking legal action, which most people in the LGBTIQ+ community cannot afford. It didn't stop many of my friends, or my self for that matter, from losing jobs, or/and becoming homeless... It hasn't stopped many of the friends I have who lead alternative life styles from being beaten, or persecuted by their friends and families when they came out. The significant changes you cite, are a fiction... You call me, someone whose lived such experiences, someone who knows many, many others who have lived similar and worse experiences ignorant? No, you're the one being ignorant here. If you think the mistreatment has ended because a few laws have passed and a few celebrities are out and in the open with it... You're spouting the same line as people who say racism is over, and it's a line of total and complete isolation from, as well as ignorance of the issues that face people in reality.

You know it's quite possible that you're both right. Some places are more progressive than others, you can't just make sweeping statements about "people" as if the entire world is on the same page.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

It's a movie people, calm down.

snip

If you think people are so bad, that is your burden to bear, but it's an ignorant opinion. People are far more accepting of alternate lifestyles than people like give them credit for. If you don't see that, that is on you. I never said there were hurdles to go over, or problems to fix, but to say what you say wreaks of ignorance of the significant changes that have occurred only the last 30 years.

Considering that I have gay and lesbian friends who have lost jobs and housing for their sexuality, considering that I was slowly tortured to keep a job because I was out as trans before my identification caught up to me... That very situation lost me my job... Oh and it being illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality, or really anything else in housing and work? Well guess what? That requires taking legal action, which most people in the LGBTIQ+ community cannot afford. It didn't stop many of my friends, or my self for that matter, from losing jobs, or/and becoming homeless... It hasn't stopped many of the friends I have who lead alternative life styles from being beaten, or persecuted by their friends and families when they came out. The significant changes you cite, are a fiction... You call me, someone whose lived such experiences, someone who knows many, many others who have lived similar and worse experiences ignorant? No, you're the one being ignorant here. If you think the mistreatment has ended because a few laws have passed and a few celebrities are out and in the open with it... You're spouting the same line as people who say racism is over, and it's a line of total and complete isolation from, as well as ignorance of the issues that face people in reality.

You know it's quite possible that you're both right. Some places are more progressive than others, you can't just make sweeping statements about "people" as if the entire world is on the same page.

Same page? Mate I'd consider it a major event if the world as a whole got around to at least reading the same book.

 

[pookie101]

there are only four reasons hollywood uses transgender people in a story:
a. lets laugh at the freak
b. person is dating someone and friends discover they are transgender so we must warn out friend about the freak dilemma
c. something for characters to throw up about
4. they are dangerous nutjobs

this is different but still tacky to say the least. hell the last time i actually saw a transgender person treated half way decent on a tv show was twin peaks.

people ask whats the issue, why judge it before its seen. well when hollywood has the history it does when it comes to transgender people you cant expect people to react otherwise

hell its only recently they have started treating gay people like you know .. human beings in media

 

[Strazdas]

Talk about biased writting....

no, San Diego State University or Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there is nothing you can do, because they are not breaking any laws and can make movies with whatever characters they want. even if you dont like them.

I just don't get this weirdly selective outrage regarding gender % in certain industries. No one seems to care that women make up a tiny minority of oil field workers and chemical engineers, and no one seems to care that men make up a tiny minority of elementary school teachers and Nurses, yet somehow when Hollywood isn't 50/50 it's a cause for mass hysteria.

Oi, got an answer to that one. Because being a oil field worker or chemical engineer dont get to smile in front of the camera and tell everyone how their ideology is the best thing ever!

The "news" here is that Rodriguez was cast in a controversial movie that is (perhaps prematurely) receiving backlash from the community it is attempting to spotlight. That is absolutely news.

The casting decision would be news for a website that reports on casting decisions. Now, unless i suddenly dropped though a space-time continuum and appeared in a different universe, Escapist is not that kind of website. The only other case like this i remmeber was a hit-piece regarding The Female Ghostbusters casting.

The "outrage" (also known as a few stupid angry people on twitter) here is not news. There is a reason they are called "perpetually offended crowd". they are always outraged.

Sounds like a silly movie with a silly premise with an action backdrop and Michelle Rodriguez is involved. Count me in. If nothing else, it's going to be a laugh and a half.

basically what i thought about Face/off (mentioned in OP) and i enjoyed that movie. ill probably watch this as well.

That is even more contrived than the actual plot of the movie. The vast majority of people can easily separate fantasy from reality, no one is going to confuse this movie for a documentary or biopic about transgender assassin. The public understands it just fine when it comes to how we are all supposed to perceive it. They are beautiful and brave human beings that are well beyond criticism as humans as they are the latest protected class in western society. No one is going to be confused by this. No one is going to think this is real or that this represents transgender people.

looking purely at games released in 2013 and 2014, in majority of cases you are either playing as not a human or you can choose the sex of the character (or both sexes are available as predefined characters). From some data i collected it looks like less than 30% of games force you into a specific gender human (either male or female), though out of those that do, males do dominate. maybe you should just play a different game?

I don't quite think you understand the premise here.
This is someone that appears to have had surgery against their will.

That's just plain messed up, and has so many horrible implications...

The premise here is standard revenge story. Bad guy X does something horible to Good Guy Y. Good Guy Y goes on revenge rampage and kills Bad guy X. its just that in this case the horrible thing is a sex change operation instead of the more traditional killing of wife and/or children.

 

[happyninja42]

this is different but still tacky to say the least. hell the last time i actually saw a transgender person treated half way decent on a tv show was twin peaks.

Then I suggest you watch Sense8. It's a show partially written/directed/produced by a transgender woman, includes a transgender character, who is played by a transgender actress.

 

[pookie101]

this is different but still tacky to say the least. hell the last time i actually saw a transgender person treated half way decent on a tv show was twin peaks.

Then I suggest you watch Sense8. It's a show partially written/directed/produced by a transgender woman, includes a transgender character, who is played by a transgender actress.

thanks for the recommendation ill check it out

 

[Lupine]

I tried outrage when I first read this, and then I realized that this movie isn't being made to further the Trans cause. It's being made to disturb a particular segment of the cisgendered populace that might look at this plotline and go "Gender reassignment surgery equals Body Horror!" The fact that this transition is unwanted is also a concern, but then I'd just accuse the screenwriters of shitting out a mob-centric actiony take on "The Skin I Live In".

"La Piel Que Me Habito" takes this same basic premise and actually does something sensible with it. Sensible, yes, and accurately horrifying.

Honestly what I thought myself. The thing is though I think while this movie could very easily go into terrible territory rather quickly or play this for body horror/a joke. Depending on the writing though I could see it taking a Kill Bill style twist where by the end of the movie maybe you empathize with the villains, maybe the hero learns a lesson about himself turned herself, her place in the world, and maybe it does actually tackle subjects of gender dysphoria and prejudice. Don't get me wrong I assume it is gonna be B-movie action schlock; but I feel like it could have a lot of interesting things to say if done right and if they really do want it to be a bit of a grindhouse style film, that doesn't automatically force it to be a stupid one or an unaware one. I think the best thing this movie could do would be to subvert audience expectations and could be courting controversy for this very reason.

So I feel like a lot of people in the wait and see bandwagon are probably right on this one.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

I don't see the problem with this. Transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria so they want to change their bodies so they no longer have the dysphoria. Well the protagonist of this movie has his body changed by the mob--which inherently causes gender dysphoria because his body no longer matches his mental gender.

If anything the LGBT community should be applauding this movie since it's a chance for cis people to get a better idea of what gender dysphoria feels like.

"It's disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device."

That was the actual comment by GLAAD.

Really, I have not heard a single trans person say anything about this movie outside of the GLAAD two sentence expression of disappointment and in response to people getting mad at us for being outraged. People see a small paragraph of a statement saying "this is kind of disappointing and probably not the best for the trans movement." and twist it into us marching on Hollywood pitchforks and torches in hand.

Basically, the outrage is really people getting mad at us because they imagined we are mad.

I for one don't care about this movie. It's exploitative of the headlines trans people are getting these days and the idea that it will carry any value as a tool for cis people to understand trans people seems incredibly unlikely, but whatever. I doubt it will do any damage, and this sort of movie being made helps normalize the idea of trans issues, meaning it can be discussed. The worst thing that can happen for trans issues is for the subject to remain taboo.

So I figure at worst it is going to be a wash, neither a good or bad thing.

 

[Lightknight]

Didn't realise transploitation is a thing these days.

People have begun to confuse depiction with exploitation.

No, this is exploitation. THIS [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3007302/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_11] is depiction. A lovely, touching movie with trans protagonist. See the difference?
By lovely, I don't mean funny, btw. It's lovely bc of the way it handles the subject.

Even if a depiction is an offensive one does not make it exploitation. A person have a sex change operation against their will is an interesting depiction. Couldn't care less if anyone finds that offensive, offensiveness isn't what makes it exploitative.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

Didn't realise transploitation is a thing these days.

People have begun to confuse depiction with exploitation.

No, this is exploitation. THIS [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3007302/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_11] is depiction. A lovely, touching movie with trans protagonist. See the difference?
By lovely, I don't mean funny, btw. It's lovely bc of the way it handles the subject.

Even if a depiction is an offensive one does not make it exploitation. A person have a sex change operation against their will is an interesting depiction. Couldn't care less if anyone finds that offensive, offensiveness isn't what makes it exploitative.

You are right, exploitation films are not based on the offensiveness of the material. Exploitation films are films that take advantage of trending or niche subject matter in a shocking or sensational manner in order to generate public interest (and therefore ticket sales.)

This is a movie riding the recent wave of publicity of trans issues and doing it in a deliberately shocking and sensational manner in order to generate public interest (and therefore ticket sales).

The movie fits the definition of an exploitation film. It is practically a text book example. That doesn't necessarily make it bad, but it is what it is.

 

[stormtrooper9091]

sorry but what exactly is the outrage here, too much trans or not enough trans? The point is lost because none of what I keep reading gives an honest piece. I know the point of everything on the internet now is to find at least one group that will be offended by whatevers to generate buzz. Is that movie gonna be any good? Is it pro-trans or anti-trans propaganda, I honestly at this point, can't strain my brain figuring out which side everyone's on lol

 

[happyninja42]

sorry but what exactly is the outrage here, too much trans or not enough trans?

I would say it's probably "not enough trans" in your example, by the simple fact that what is being presented in the movie isn't an accurate representation of the transgender issue/situation/etc. The operation is being portrayed as a form of personal violation, being inflicted on someone who didn't ask for it at all. This puts a fairly negative connotation on the what is for actual, real transgender people, a life affirming transition, giving their lives stability, and inner/outer consistency. At least that's my understanding of the reason why the trans community is against this movie. I'm a cis male so I could be misreading their opinions on it.

The issue (as I see it), is that it's again misrepresenting their demographic in the public eye, falsely coloring the discussion further than it already is. The issue is that in popular culture/media, the number of transgender characters are:
1) Exceedingly rare in entertainment representation
and
2) Almost always represented as either homocidally crazy due to their gender identity issues (Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs for example), or otherwise mentally unstable due to their issues.

That they don't show many examples of trans characters who are simply a person, doing regular person stuff, who just also happens to be trans.

Someone in this discussion who actually is trans, please feel free to confirm/deny what I've said, but this seems to me to be the basic issue with the movie.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

sorry but what exactly is the outrage here, too much trans or not enough trans? The point is lost because none of what I keep reading gives an honest piece. I know the point of everything on the internet now is to find at least one group that will be offended by whatevers to generate buzz. Is that movie gonna be any good? Is it pro-trans or anti-trans propaganda, I honestly at this point, can't strain my brain figuring out which side everyone's on lol

Here is the entire statement:

"We haven't read the script, but it's disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a lifesaving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device. We are at a crucial moment in the public?s understanding of transgender issues, and stories like these have the potential to undermine the progress we?ve worked so hard to achieve."

Basically, the outrage is largely directed at the trans community because a spokesman for a LGBT organization would dare to say that a movie called "Tomboy, A Revenger?s Tale" featuring forced gender reassignment as a sensationalist plot device probably wont give the subject good treatment and that this is disappointing, but that he doesn't know it is bad for sure because he has not actually seen the script.

Edit: As a trans woman, I am really not sure what the outrage is here on either side. The synopsis and especially the title (tomboy revenger? really?) of the movie are cringe worthy, but I wouldn't call it offensive. So I am not sure why people are getting mad at it. On the other hand, expressing reserved disappointment isn't exactly heavy handed censorship, so I am not sure why people are mad about that either.

I think it is just one of those times people find an excuse to shout at each other.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I wonder who they are casting as the assassin before the surgery though? I would hope they pick someone who is at least physically similar to Michelle Rodriguez, after all there is only so much surgery can do.

I think I read somewhere (Variety?) that Rodriguez plays the character pre and post surgery.

 

[Nailzzz]

I don't believe for a second that this movie has a prayer of topping "The Skin I Live In". Now that movie outraged people. People walked out of film festival showings. It was great.

 

[Strazdas]

Didn't realise transploitation is a thing these days.

People have begun to confuse depiction with exploitation.

No, this is exploitation. THIS [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3007302/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_11] is depiction. A lovely, touching movie with trans protagonist. See the difference?
By lovely, I don't mean funny, btw. It's lovely bc of the way it handles the subject.

Both are depiction. One is more accurate than other, but both are depiction.

"It's disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device."

That was the actual comment by GLAAD.


Basically, the outrage is really people getting mad at us because they imagined we are mad.

Well GLAAD is mad, just not in the way you refered to. they, after all, refer to gender reassignment procedure as "life-saving". because apparently people now die if they dont get their genders reassigned.

 

[Lightknight]

Didn't realise transploitation is a thing these days.

People have begun to confuse depiction with exploitation.

No, this is exploitation. THIS [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3007302/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_11] is depiction. A lovely, touching movie with trans protagonist. See the difference?
By lovely, I don't mean funny, btw. It's lovely bc of the way it handles the subject.

Even if a depiction is an offensive one does not make it exploitation. A person have a sex change operation against their will is an interesting depiction. Couldn't care less if anyone finds that offensive, offensiveness isn't what makes it exploitative.

All I got from your, frankly, weak reasoning is that you don;t give a shit.
Good for you, now be on your way.

Well, I don't give a shit. But not for the reason you seem to be thinking. This is just some movie someone is making. Bitching about someone making a movie about a topic you (royal you) don't like is as silly as bitching at an artist for painting in a style you (royal) don't like. They have every right to create their work and you (royal again) being upset by it doesn't mean one single thing. If this were a book you'd (if you align with the aforementioned royal you) be the equivalent of a book burner if you think about it if you are indeed complaining about people making a movie about a topic you disagree with and are demanding it not be made.

People seem to forget that exploitation films can pertain to nearly anything. They just have to be about something that is "trendy". For example, the movie "World Trade Center" is an exploitation film in that it is exploiting the cultural relevance of 9/11. It isn't really exploitation like we think of exploitation as far as taking advantage of the weak in an unfair way. It's exploitation in the sense of making full use of an opportunity or ability. Blaxploitation films weren't inherently bad. It was originally Hollywood trying to cater to the black demographic. It just eventually became popular with other demographics too and then we fell into the track of perpetuation of stereotypes.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

Well GLAAD is mad, just not in the way you refered to. they, after all, refer to gender reassignment procedure as "life-saving". because apparently people now die if they dont get their genders reassigned.

Many do. Death by suicide due to severe depression brought on by gender dysphoria. It happens alarmingly often.

And besides, there are non literal ways for something to be life saving. It is not unusual to apply the term "life saving" to some procedure or event that, strictly speaking, did not directly prevent death. I would argue that physical therapy is life saving. I would argue that surgery that saves the eyes of an individual is life saving. I would argue that modern prosthetic are life saving. Training to overcome the disadvantages of a disability is life saving. Depression medication is life saving. None of these afflictions are life threatening, but they do cause terrible damage to the individuals life. These treatments save people from a life of hopelessness, misery and pain. They save a persons life in a very real way, if not in a strictly literal sense. I would certainly classify gender dysphoria treatments in this group of figurative life saving treatments.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

Well, it's obviously shock schlock...but Michelle Rodriguez.

She's awesome. I like her.

Well GLAAD is mad, just not in the way you refered to. they, after all, refer to gender reassignment procedure as "life-saving". because apparently people now die if they dont get their genders reassigned.

Many do. Death by suicide due to severe depression brought on by gender dysphoria. It happens alarmingly often.

And besides, there are non literal ways for something to be life saving. It is not unusual to apply the term "life saving" to some procedure or event that, strictly speaking, did not directly prevent death. I would argue that physical therapy is life saving. I would argue that surgery that saves the eyes of an individual is life saving. I would argue that modern prosthetic are life saving. Training to overcome the disadvantages of a disability is life saving. Depression medication is life saving. None of these afflictions are life threatening, but they do cause terrible damage to the individuals life. These treatments save people from a life of hopelessness, misery and pain. They save a persons life in a very real way, if not in a strictly literal sense. I would certainly classify gender dysphoria treatments in this group of figurative life saving treatments.

Ya know.

The dissonance here coulda been resolved by simply referring to it as a "life-altering" or "life-improving" or "psychologically helpful" or...like, anything other than the same terminology people employ in reference to, say, excising cancerous tumors or something equally life-threatening.

I get that people kill themselves due to depression from dysphoria, which is a whole other topic in and of itself, but it just comes across as being hyperbolic for the sake of twisting the proverbial knife.

 

[Fangface74]

Movies are entertainment, as are games, books, poetry etc.

The inability to separate them from real life issues is the typical failing of the puritan (i.e having or displaying censorious moral beliefs)