She’s A Boy I Knew

There once was a boy with nightmares of abandonment and an increasing feeling of discomfort. Hiding the notion of really being a girl, he excelled at hockey, did well in school, and met and married the lovely Malgosia. After searching for women's clothes in the trash and dealing with a lifetime of pain, he admitted his secret and faced his fears. His story of becoming a woman highlights the love and support that made the ordeal bearable. Home movies bring us into the Haworth family history and interviews with his parents and sisters deal sincerely with overwhelming questions: Would Steven be safe and successful as a woman? What happens to the memories of the brother, the son, the husband? As the time of surgery nears, his family's concerns seem to focus on his safety rather than on the change, a marked sign of acceptance. Gwen, formally Steven, tells the story of this gender reassignment with an unparalleled level of intelligence and tenderness. Her autobiographical film is as much about the humor of her mother, the love of her father, and the strength of her sisters as it is about reassignment. Touching, funny, and smart, SHE'S A BOY I KNEW deals so deftly with a sometimes difficult subject that it is, as it should be, as much about love and acceptance as it is about gender issues. –JBH