Since ancient times, humans have sought to represent and share stories about their daily lives and realities, with the intention that they remain for posterity or merely as a component of social life and identification with other people as a source of emotional support. Listening to stories in which you feel identified is key to developing feelings of belonging to a community, a culture or a social group.
The problem is that not all realities have always been represented. Societies built under the patriarchal, male, heterosexual, cisgender and white gaze have omitted the stories of people who do not identify with these codes. How many times have we seen Hollywood blockbusters starring, for example, Asian transsexual women? Most of the stories that are told to us represent normative lives and stories on the big screen.
Another example of exclusion in the media is that of non-binary people Non-binary people are those who do not understand gender as binomial, male or female. Experiencing gender in this way implies breaking with classic gender stereotypes and expectations, linked to the role of men and women generated in our patriarchal societies.
In this article, we are going to present some examples of film productions that explore gender non-binary It is important to notice the few films starring non-binary people or that, at least, have a character with this gender identity. The reality is that there are so few that in this list we have mostly included films that deal with gender issues with a perspective that is far from binary, with which these people can connect.
As we have already been commenting, not all of the films discussed in the following list star or even have non-binary characters. However, we consider that They represent ideologies far from the gender binary and close to the thought of Butler or Wittig, reflecting the social construction of gender and the social obligation of heterosexuality and normativity. Therefore, some of these films are considered reference films for non-binary and queer people.
1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) by Jim Sharman
We start this selection with a film that has ended up establishing itself as a cult reference in general, but more specifically, as a film significantly referenced by the LGBTQI+ community The plot presents a transvestite alien from the Transsexual planet as the main character, along with a whole slang of visual, costume and chromatic elements that, already at the time, served in some way to make people with dissident identities feel identified. LGBTQI+ people were a big part of the fan phenomenon following the film, feeling connected to the themes of sexual liberation and androgyny.
2. Nowhere (1997) by Gregg Araki
Unabashedly, Nowhere presents bisexual, homosexual and dissident characters and the reality of their social, sexual and personal lives. The film follows Dark, a bisexual character who maintains a relationship with Mel, a polyamorous girl while developing feelings for a gay classmate. Added to this story is the appearance of extraterrestrial abductions, drug consumption and sex at a wild party. This surreal and energetic film Over time, it has become a key reference for queers and dissidents for taking dissidence and breaking social expectations to the maximum
3. Tomboy (2011) by Céline Sciamma
In a completely different tone from previous films, Céline Sciamma represents in this film the uncertainty and ignorance of queer and dissident childhood.
This story stars a gender non-conforming person who, upon moving to a new neighborhood, has the opportunity to introduce himself to the rest of the boys and girls in the neighborhood with a masculine identity. Thus, The film explores the way in which dissident childhoods adapt to their realities and the expectations of society, looking for paths that break with the norms to be able to express a gender identity that truly represents them. This is important because it brings to the big screen not only the importance of considering gender and the normativity of prototypical and stereotypical roles and expectations, but also to give visibility and value to queer childhood. Representation is important, and if a mother, father, boy or girl can see films like this that serve as a liberation and as a path of light towards their identity, it can be a giant step for their emotional well-being.
Paris Is Burning is another of the films in this selection that has managed to become a cult film for queer people. In it, as a documentary, it shows the New York ballroom scene in the late 90s. The ball culture originated among young African-Americans and Latinos to organize their own masked and cross-dressing balls, in which, as a competition, These people perform roles and attitudes through clothing, dance, and poses
This concept of performativity can be understood in a way that is directly linked to that proposed by Judith Butler defending the social construction of gender. Due to its ability to show gender ideals that are different from the binaries, Paris Is Burning has managed to establish itself as a key reference film for all people with non-binary gender identities.
5. The Law of Desire (1987) by Pedro Almodóvar
Whenever we talk about LGBTQI+ cinema, it is important to highlight the figure of Pedro Almodóvar, who is also a greatest exponent of Spanish cinema. As is common in his films, The Law of Desire shows LGBT people and people with dissident identities in a completely normalized way; thus being a fundamental support for queer people of the time. It is important to understand that the construction of Spanish democracy and the departure of a dictatorship that completely suppressed these realities and their representation in the media was underway. This film revolves around the sexual life of two brothers, Pablo, a homosexual, and Tina, a transsexual whose identities do not fit into the stereotypical canon of what is expected of a man or a woman.
6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) by John Cameron Mitchell
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a classic of queer cinema that directly explores the metaphysics of queerness and gender dissidence. The film tells the story of Hansel Schmidt, a young homosexual from Berlin who falls in love with an American soldier and decides to undergo sex reassignment surgery so she can marry him. A convoluted plot but represents the complication of discovering one’s own sexual and gender identity in all those contexts that are so unfavorable and difficult for dissident people
This was a very important film at the time it was released due to the scarce and almost non-existent existence of films that focused their narratives on openly LGBTQI+ people and with an expression of gender so far removed from normative and binary conceptions.
7. Softie (2021) by Samuel Theis
Softie, like the aforementioned Tomboy, shows the story of Johnny, a boy who does not conform to social expectations of male roles. With the arrival of a new teacher at his school, a whole door of self-discovery opens for Johnny. Samuel Theis reflects in this way the social determinism characteristic of childhood and adolescence that makes people with dissident identities feel closed in or denied their realities.
Films like these help generate more awareness and knowledge about what it means to have a queer childhood that does not fit social paradigms and that also does not come accompanied by a source of family and safe support. Furthermore, as in most films that represent childhood, the film also explores the first moments of emotional, intellectual and sexual awakening, which strengthens the desire for emancipation and individuality.
8. Elementary (2023) by Peter Sohn
This is the most recent film on the list, and also the one that has brought the most controversy in recent months. And that is nothing more and nothing less than the inclusion of a non-binary character. Elemental is the new Pixar film and is presented as an anti-racist story that describes a parallel universe made up of different natural elements; air, earth, fire and water.
The story follows the romance between a fire element and a water element, with the goal of highlight the importance of diversity and that all people deserve to be loved and respected regardless of their “origins” Although this is not a story that revolves around gender or binary, the fact that it has included a non-binary character (despite the fact that they are natural, non-human elements) and that it has been criticized for it may be a reason why than to support this film.
