(courtesy IMDb)
Identity cuts to the core of who we are as people.
But for something so intrinsic to our sense of self and expression, identity is often twisted into all sorts of unrecognisable shapes by societal pressure, familial expectations, bullying and bigotry and even our personal journeys to figuring out who we are at heart.
It is not, in any words, an easy journey to come to a firm, or any sense really, of who we are.
In She’s the He, written and directed by Siobhan McCarthy, exploring how we arrive at who we are is given a fun but meaningful twist as two cisgenders guys at an American high school, Alex (Nico Carney) and Ethan (Misha Osherovich, decide to pose as transgender women in order to get closer to a classmate, Sasha (Malia Pyles) that Alex likes.
It’s a ridiculous idea, and an hilariously over-the-top premise for the film but it sort of kind of works, driven by exuberant performances by Carney – perhaps a little too exuberant at times but you can’t say Carney, a transgender stand-up comedian doesn’t give it his humorous all – and a more soulful one by Ethan who, feeling adrift and unhappy and unsure about who he is, begins to realise that their ridiculous scheme, or mor accurately Alex’s, may just have a kernel of truth.
Actually scratch that, a whole cornfield of truth with Alex’s glib and silly plan, which is unquestioningly embraced by the diverse senior students of the school, who count an impressive array of lesbian and non-binary people in their midst including non-binary lesbian Forest (Tatiana Ringsby), actually hitting home to Ethan in ways she doesn’t expect.
Rather hilariously and yet poignantly, this great identity epiphany hits her when Sasha is fussing over her like she’s a living, breathing Barbie, putting on make-up and putting on dresses and outfits straight from the school’s theatrical department.
In a film that puts the pedal to the metal when it comes to visual hijinks and narrative shenanigans, Ethan’s change from a friend going along with his best friend’s brainless and ill-considered theme simply to land a girl – spoiler alert: it hasn’t got a snowflake’s chance in hell of working and lo and behold, it does not, some sanity prevailing in all the absurdity – to someone realizing the pretence is her truth is actually quite moving.
Osherovich, a non-binary queer actor excels in her role, bringing some much-needed emotional depth and richness to a film that does have something worthwhile to say but sometimes loses the clarity of its messaging in the midst of some riotously funny and near farcical scenes.
In fact, it would be fair to say she is the beating heart of He’s the She, grounding its outrageous premise and hilariously absurdist execution into some very real and affecting humanity.
Granted, He’s the She does play fast and loose with her journey, taking her from oblivious cisgender man to committed transgender woman in something like 24-48 hours and while Osherovich absolutely makes the transition wholly and movingly believable, it does beggar belief at times that a journey this profound would happen quite this quickly.
But then He’s the She is trying to do a lot in what is the last week of school for these seniors and so you can forgive an accelerated timeline which maybe be ridiculous in any sort of real world setting but which works well enough in the hyper realism of the film.
One place where this rush to make a point, and FAST, doesn’t quite work is when Ethan tells his single mother Mary (Suzanne Cryer) that she is a woman and won’t be the son that her mum has been putting all her hopes on.
He’s the She goes to the trouble of establishing the relationship between Mary and Ethan as a warm and inclusive one, and so Ethan’s bombshell doesn’t quite play out the way you expect it to; Mary doesn’t take the news well and this of course causes issues until, well, it doesn’t.
Those coming out moments are usually a massive journey in and of themselves, and if there is one criticism of He’s the She, it’s that it doesn’t really give this confession-to-acceptance enough time to meaningfully and authentically play out.
It’s not fatal but it does point to one of the Achilles Heels of He’s the She which is what in its rush to make all kinds of really worthwhile points, it kind of diminishes their import and impact by shrinking them down to very small, briskly raced over parts of a frenetically hilarious whole.
That’s really perhaps what makes the film not quite the slam dunk its makers no doubt envisaged.
It is lots of fun, and though it’s clearly made on a budget, the vivacity and joyful intensity of the screenplay and performances by a cast who clearly relish their roles gives the movie a huge amount of verve and a driving sense that it matters, that it’s filling a gap in the genre of high school coming of age stories which are largely heteronormative or where the gay or trans characters are just bit players.
In He’s the She they are the main characters, the driving force of the narrative, an emphatic declaration in a school that is largely completely accepting of its diverse student population that everyone matters, has importance and should be taken seriously.
That’s the significance of He’s the She – it places people usually sent to the margins, and who are used to existing there for crumbs of validity and attention, right into the spotlight and it’s fun to see them make the most of it.
He’s the She may have some issues with its balance of the absurd and the meaningful and this may weaken what the makers were clearly trying to achieve, and it may get lost in its mix of the silly and the sublime but it’s a lot of fun to watch, the characters exude so much authentic enthusiasm (especially Osherovich who is superb) and ultimately it shouts from the rooftops that these people matter and that’s likely the best part of this chaotically piece of cinema which may not get everything right but nails that part perfectly.