Looking for a queer comedy to fill the hole left by 2023’s smash hit “Bottoms?” I certainly was. Luckily, first-time director Siobhan McCarthy has delivered. I had the chance to see their debut film “She’s the He” at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) this year and was blown away by the passion, humor and trans joy that permeates every frame.
“She’s the He” follows Ethan (Misha Osherovich) and Alex (Nico Carney), two high school seniors and inseparable best friends. So inseparable, in fact, that their entire school is convinced that the pair are secretly gay lovers. In an attempt to beat these rumors, get Alex closer to his longtime crush Sasha (Malia Pyles), and gain access to the coveted girls locker room, the pair hatch a scheme to pretend to identify as transgender women.
On its face, the film’s premise is outdated at best and flat-out transphobic at worst. Men pretending to be trans in order to creep on women in the bathroom? Really? However, a major twist flips the movie on its head early on: Ethan really is trans, and must navigate this realization while keeping herself and Alex out of trouble.
“She’s the He” is set in a timeless, caricatured world that feels like an 80s throwback and an optimistic future all at once. Familiar tropes like letterman jacket clad quarterback Jacob (Emmet Preciado) intermix with characters like Forest (Tatiana Rigsby), a sarcastic nonbinary lesbian who wouldn’t be out of place at a school like Seattle University. These tropes are further subverted by the film’s almost entirely trans cast and crew: though his character is an outspoken transphobe, Preciado himself is a trans man. This is an incredibly rare and refreshing casting choice. Trans actors are so often relegated to trans roles, leaving them with few chances to demonstrate their versatility. I can’t lie: seeing a fellow trans person take on the role of a meatheaded bully was oddly cathartic.
My biggest hesitation going into the film was that the humor wouldn’t land successfully. Satire is a hard genre to nail, especially when you’re dealing with a minefield of controversial topics. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about: I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud in a movie theater! Nico Carney’s portrayal of immature, sex-obsessed Alex is particularly entertaining (and yet another case of a cis character played by a trans actor!). Carney’s stand-up comedy background helps him nail Alex’s deadpan and conversational tone, as well as giving him the charisma to endear audiences to the otherwise unlikable character. Most impressively, he manages to use modern slang without coming across as out of touch or, God forbid, cringey.
Alex’s constant joking only becomes grating in one specific scene, at which point Ethan screams at him to “shut the fuck up” on the audience’s behalf. When the film does dip into absurdity, it does so with the same self-awareness as this moment.
Though “She’s the He” is undoubtedly a comedy, the film doesn’t shy away from emotional moments. Ethan’s first attempt at coming out to her mother, Mary (Suzane Cryer), ends with the two no longer on speaking terms. However, Mary isn’t just brushed off as a typical unsupportive parent. The film explores the deep insecurity that drives her actions: Mary doesn’t see herself as beautiful, and fears that Ethan will take after her if she transitions. She knows how difficult life is as an “ugly woman,” and wants to protect Ethan from the inevitable pain she will experience. Each scene between the pair is authentic and heartbreaking. The characters clearly share a deep love for one another but can’t figure out how to communicate it without hurting each other.
As a trans person myself, I found Ethan and Mary’s dynamic, along with many other plot points, to be intensely relatable. At one point, Ethan describes the feeling of looking in the mirror and being able to imagine herself growing old for the first time. Her exact words on the topic have come out of my mouth numerous times, yet I’ve never seen this description used in a piece of fiction before. Even today, the majority of trans content I’ve engaged with still uses outdated and oversimplistic ideas of being “born in the wrong body” or knowing you were the opposite gender since you popped out of the womb. Ethan’s identity is much more complex and could only have been written and acted by people who have shared her journey.
This energy could be felt throughout the sold-out theater. The feeling of watching a film that seemed like it was made for me, while being surrounded by other trans people feeling the same way, was something I’ll never forget. Now more than ever, moments of community like this one are crucial. Art like this is a powerful reminder that no matter how hard things get, trans joy and humor will persevere.
Currently, “She’s the He” has not been picked up for widespread distribution. However, viewers can purchase a SIFF streaming pass to gain access to the film from May 26 through June 1. “She’s the He” will make its way to the Frameline film festival in San Francisco June 24, where Californian readers can catch it at the Roxie Theater.
