The Garden Left Behind

Saw this at SXSW, where Brazilian director Flavio Alves won the audiences' award. The movie is about Tina, a trans-woman from Mexico, living as illegal immigrant together with her caring grandmother in New York. The movie is almost shot like a documentary, following Tina's struggle with love, anti-trans violence, and her medical and psychological transition to become a woman. Shot with mainly first-time actors from the New York trans activist scene (and a supporting role by Michael Madsen as barkeeper) the movie feels completely authentic and realistic. The director and his co-writer John Rotondo mentioned at a Q&A at SXSW that they had no prior knowledge about trans women, they wanted to learn more about this marginalized (and stigmatised) group, thus they made this film. The film heavily benefits from the producers' curiosity, the film is only partially activist, more an empathic study of people living on the edge of society. I myself did not know a lot about trans women, however, I could quite easily resonate with the protagonists' feelings and experiences. Basically, it is about love and hate and friendship, about trying to find out who you are and how to find your place in life.