Movie Review: Soldier's Girl

[butterfly]

The movie Soldier's Girl originally aired on Showtime a while back -- I can remember seeing ads for it back when I was watching QaF with jic, so a couple of years ago, really. Anyway, I noticed that jic had it in her dvd collection and decided to check it out.

I've since rewatched it twice, and one of those times was with jic.

It's a really good movie. It's based on the true story of Barry Winchell, a private in the airbourne infantry, who fell in love with a transgender showgirl named Calpernia Addams.

It's a tragedy -- we get told that in the first five minutes. Barry Winchell died in 1999, was killed by one of his fellow soldiers. Killed for being in love, killed because of stupid bigotry and hate. This movie made me cry all three times that I watched it. The acting is superb, and the characters are realistically complicated and not at all watered down. The relationship between Barry and Calperina is lovingly drawn, and I really felt their connection through-out the film.

And in seeing the interviews with the real Calpernia, it really is obvious that she is a woman, no matter what genitalia she happened to be born with. This is something that I've previously understood intellectually, but this movie brought it home to me in a very emotional way.

Exceedingly well-done.

Comments

[citizenjess.livejournal.com]

That movie totally made me bawl the first time I watched it. It was excellent; I read an interview - I'm not sure it's the same one - with the "real" Calpernia myself, as well as with Barry's parents, and they all said that it was a pretty fitting reenactment.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It really is a pretty amazing movie -- though I had to hide my eyes at the end the second and third time that I watched it. I normally don't have a problem with violence -- I think knowing that just that thing happened to Barry, knowing that that part of it was accurate... kinda overwhelming.

Side note: I adore your icon! The thing that surprised me the most about Kinsey was how incredibly funny the movie was. I was expecting the other stuff, I was not expecting the wonderful humor.

[aerye.livejournal.com]

I saw this when it first came out and agree wholeheartedly--it's very well done, very well acted. Incredibly moving.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

It really is. It really is a movie that deserves all the praise in the world. Painful and truthful and wonderfully done.

[eyesfullofhope.livejournal.com]

I agree, it's a beautiful, yet completely tragic, film and everyone should be required to watch it.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It's such a well-done portrait of what concentrated hate can do and why hating love makes so little sense, but it isn't at all preachy.