XXY (Lucia Puenzo, 2007): Argentina

XXY was a very moving film that I went into knowing very little about and not expecting to get so wrapped up into. XXY is an Argentinean film that was directed and co-written by Lucia Puenzo. It is about a young hermaphrodite, Alex (Ines Efron), struggling in a world where she does not seem to fit in anywhere.

Alex and her family live in a standard house on the beach that is isolated from everything. They have only one neighbor, which Alex is best friend with the girl who lives there. Her father (Ricardo Darin) is a marine veterinarian who is very passionate at his work. Her mother (Valeria Bertuccelli) has contacted a surgeon without her husband knowing. The surgeon and his wife and teen boy, come to Alex’s house to try and convince her father to allow him to perform surgery on Alex.

Because she has stopped taking her medication, she has started to lose her femininity. Alex struggles very much with her sexual aspects of life. During the surgeon and his family’s stay, Alex sparks up a relationship with the surgeon’s son in not the most romantic way. This gets complicated as they get tangled up in sexual confusion, to say the least. The film tackles a big topic of how people with differences are treated so differently. This is very much an issue with not only Alex, but also very much so with her family as well.

XXY was shot beautifully in a stunning location. It had this dark and colorless effect in parts, which added so much to the overall mood of the film. Altogether, XXY was a powerful piece that kept the viewer involved. I would easily recommend this film to someone and hope to purchase it in the future.