Tag Archives: gender

SXSW 2023 documentary review: ‘WHO I AM NOT’ is an eye-opening lesson on humanity and identity.

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WHO I AM NOT

Gender identity is a hot-button issue around the globe. For intersex people, existing is complicated and emotionally taxing. SXSW 2023 doc WHO I AM NOT follows two individuals who follow divergent paths on their journey to self-acceptance. When intersex children are born, most doctors suggest that parents choose one set of genitals. This complex decision should not even be an option. Sharon-Rose and Katso were born with both sets of genitals. Neither function to produce children. The film exploring happiness, navigating family, discrimination, and dating is emotionally wrought and fascinating.

Dimakatso Sebidi is a male-presenting person whose intersex identity prevents them from finding a job. They feel their family made a terrible decision at birth, stealing any chance for pure happiness. In the search for medical answers, a pelvic exam proves excruciating for Katso. An ultrasound allows them to see what their internal sex organs look like for the first time. A chromosomal test confirms something astonishing. The stress and fear are palpable. They go so far as to seek validation and cleansing from elders. Spritual reckoning involves bone reading and four chickens.

Sharon-Rose Khumalo presents as a female. She and Katso connect for the same reasons but exist on opposite sides of the gender spectrum. Sharon-Rose is a beauty pageant winner, works in marketing, and hosts a DIY home decor Youtube channel. She longs to bear children but knows it is impossible. The classically beautiful and happy facade disguises deep, longing sadness. Her attempts to find a partner that accepts her inability to have biological children nearly break her. Director Tünde Skovrán takes the opportunity to convey her Sharon-Rises inner turmoil with thoughtful creativity.

I find it ironic that Christianity plays such a looming role in the lives of South Africans. If God created people in his image and is infallible, why do so many preachers and institutions narrowly define male and female? Religion is so often a spirit murderer. WHO I AM NOT explores how each family confronts these issues.

Sharon-Rose and Katso seek respect and live in harmony without judgment. In the way sexuality is not a choice, being born intersex is not a choice. WHO I AM NOT is an essential education for audiences far beyond the seats at SXSW 2023. It deserves a global audience.

Film Screenings

Who I Am Not at Alamo Lamar C
Mar 11, 2023
8:30pm—10:12pm
 
Who I Am Not at Alamo Lamar B
Mar 12, 2023
6:00pm—7:42pm
 
Who I Am Not at Alamo Lamar B
Mar 16, 2023
11:15am—12:57pm
 

Credits

Director:

Tünde Skovrán
Executive Producer:

Patricia Arquette, Andrei Zinca, Tünde Skovrán, Marc Smolowitz, Jafta Mekgoe, Danielle Turkov, M.J. Packham, Maryse Rouillard
Producer:

Andrei Zinca
Screenwriter:

Tünde Skovrán
Cinematographer:

Daniel Szandtner, Felix Striegel, Guillaume Beaudoin
Editor:

Marianna Rudas HSE
Sound Designer:

Martin Cadieux-Rouillard
Music:

Luc Sicard; songs by Bonzegive Mabandla, Desiree, Brian Bibb
Additional Credits:

Co Producer: Paul Cadieux, Co-Producer: Patrick Hamm, Associate Producer: Amy Shepherd, Associate Producer: Daniel Szantnder, VFX & Color grading: Dean Lewis, Sound recording: Blaise Rival, Sound recording: Adam Vadasz, Associate Producer: Janos Kovacs, Associate Producer: Edith Weil

 

Review: ‘A SEXPLANATION’ is the single most sex positive lesson of my entire life.

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Just your typical queer, Asian American, comedic sex education documentary about the universal search for love, connection, and family acceptance.

Gloriously raw and unapologetic, A Sexplanation was the most informative lesson on sex I’ve ever seen. Like director Alex Liu, my parents never had “The Talk” with me. My Catholic school elementary sex-ed class was in 5th grade. Separating the boys and girls, we got the basics on menstrual health and body parts. That was it. I think I got that same lesson in my high school health class. Why are those classes always taught by gym teachers, anyway? Seriously, why don’t schools bring in experts? In A Sexplanation, Alex Liu does all the groundwork for those left to their own devices at slumber parties, sleep-away camps, and dial-up internet. 

Liu sits down with folks across the sexuality information spectrum; doctors, scientists, therapists, activists, a politician, and a priest! Some of the most intriguing moments happen when Alex speaks with his parents. They are honest, unfiltered, and make the viewer feel the need to talk to their parental figures to clear some shit up. The film also introduces us to programs like INclued, an LGBTQ-centered evidence-based sexual health education program for youth ages 14-19. I wish that existed when I was a teen!

Along with the interviews, visual gags featuring phallic objects and vibrant cartoon animation from Woodenmarker serves as quirky transitions. The biggest challenge in watching the film will be the same for everyone, and Liu understands this. Getting past our ingrained biases, owning each cringe at an image or word, and diving deep into the reasons those reactions occur in the first place. Tackling family dynamics, “The Talk” is so important and how we learn to talk about sex. Statistics do not lie. States teaching abstinence-only have higher teen pregnancy and STI rates. Families need to normalize open lines of communication. We need to step out of our comfort zones and embrace our own sex positivity to better the world. 

 Liu makes himself the guinea pig in a project that could actually save lives. The amount of information in the doc is mind-blowing. The lack of shame makes A Sexplanation a glorious watch and an honest-to-goodness celebration of sexual literacy.

Available on Digital Download from 6th June

Director’s Statement

Alex Liu, writer and director: “A Sexplanation follows my quest to confront my sex education — by finally getting a real one.

Growing up, sex felt shameful. My parents never brought it up. School focused on disease, pregnancy, and abstinence. By my 30s, I was surprised by how much shame I still carried. After talking with friends, I realized I wasn’t alone.

  The film documents my attempt to strip away this shame, no matter how awkward it might get — even masturbating in an MRI machine (for science!).

Through honest conversations with scientists, educators, and even my parents, I try to uncover some naked truths and hard facts that will get us to a healthier, sexier future.”

asexplanation.com

A Sexplanation will be available on Digital Download from 6th June on iTunes on GooglePlay.