TRANSFIXED

All her life, Martine Stonehouse has fought for her rights as a transgendered person. Her spouse, John Gelmone, who is afflicted with Asperger’s and Tourette’s, provides unconditional support. But the couple cannot consummate their love: Martine must first undergo the ultimate operation to change her sex.

Though director Alon Kol had plenty of footage to focus on the militant recognized by Toronto’s Pride Award in 2012, he didn’t stop there. Instead he chose to depict Martine’s complete transformation into a woman. This longing proves upsetting, for although she is buoyed by a coterie of friends offering support and affection, her weight problem, an issue of concern for several specialists, could pose a definite obstacle to her surgery and a threat to her health. Uncompromising and raw, Kol’s documentary shares this woman’s heart, revealing her fragility but also her unrivalled determination. On a different level from Caitlin Jenner’s notoriety, the portrait the filmmaker offers is that of a woman whose life is much simpler and whose financial situation, more tenuous, but whose story is nonetheless deeply moving. Even as the transgendered community receives recognition as never before, Martine Stonehouse stands out as a heroine to be commended.