Philadelphia Latino Film Festival 2020 #PHLAFF2020

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

The Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (June 4-7) decided to host a virtual fest this year due to COVID-19.  Unfortunately, I found out about this turn of events rather late, so I didn’t get a chance to screen very much, but I did see the closing night film…

“TODOS CAMBIAMOS (EVERYBODY CHANGES)” a drama written/directed by Arturo Montenegro (co-writer Henry Corcuera) that tries never too be too dark as it explores a family’s struggle to come to grips with a father’s decision to live his life as a woman named Lizzie (Arantxa de Juan).

You don’t think about transsexualism being something that a small town in Panama would be encountering. But obviously, people needing to live their truth in the form of the sex they were not assigned at birth happens anywhere and everywhere. The complexities of the story play out so that you can sympathize with every member of the family, the wife Carol (Gaby Gnazzo) feels betrayed because she feels she’s been a good sport about him needing to play “dress up” now and again, making it a fun “girls night” out for dinner and a movie, but thought they agreed it was never something their three sons, friends, neighbors, co-workers etc should ever know about. Frederico/Lizzie doesn’t want to hurt or lose his family including Carol, but can no longer deny he’s transgender and ready to fully embrace life as a woman. The oldest son is angry feels his father is being selfish, the younger sons are completely confused and just missing their father.

One thing I think is amazing and wonder if it would truly play out this way in Panama – When Frederico is ready to come out and goes to the HR Manager at his place of employment to inform them from now on he’ll be showing up to work as Lizzie; HR does everything in its power to make it an easy transition, absolutely no push back. That’s wonderfully progressive!

I feel ashamed and I know it’s not correct, but watching this story play out I felt the same way I did when Bruce Jenner revealed he was transgender and became Caitlyn – it’s too late. I’ve seen other movies where a kid is born with male genitalia, but everything else about them is feminine. In that case, I’m all for the family encouraging the child to be who they feel they are and when puberty hits to start giving them hormones and perhaps start to prepare them for the ultimate operation. But when a person has lived their whole lives as the sex they were assigned at birth, gets married, has kids, I kinda feel you made your decision, live with it for the sake of those that will be affected if you change up now. But one thing that put this into prospective for me was a scene where the psychologist says to the oldest son, trying taking away the astonishment.

“Todos Cambiamos” lovingly handles a very emotional subject, and I gotta say, Lizzie looks damn good.

Recipient of Philadelphia Latino Film Festival LOLA Award
Philadelphia Premiere Panama, 2019 (93 min)
Arturo Montenegro, Director
Narrative Spanish (with English Subtitles)

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