The past few years haven’t been an easy time to be transgender (if there ever truly has been an “easy” time to be trans), not least in the United States, so it’s not surprising that the majority of films by trans creatives in recent memory have been on the angstier side. In many ways, She’s the He is refreshingly silly – it’s a film with transgender leads that isn’t afraid to be goofy, absurd, and deeply unserious in these challenging times; yet its humour mustn’t be mistaken for a distraction from the real-world issues that trans individuals face, as beneath the jokes lies a vulnerable, passionate heart that might just be the film’s greatest strength.
The feature directorial debut of non-binary filmmaker Siobhan McCarthy, She’s the He follows Ethan (Misha Osherovich) and Alex (Nico Carney) – two best friends in their last week of high school. Alex, frustrated with being mistaken for Ethan’s lover, hatches a wacky plan to convince their classmates that he is straight – the hare-brained scheme in question being for Alex and Ethan to pretend to be transgender women in a convoluted attempt to get closer to the girls in their class. However, when the plan leads Ethan to come to a realisation that she actually is a trans girl, chaos erupts in ways both equally hilarious and heart-breaking – and the duo find their lives changed forever, whether for better or worse.
Misha, an actress best known for her very funny supporting role in queer slasher-comedy Freaky (2020), stars here in her first explicitly transfeminine screen role – and her performance absolutely stuns. Ethan’s journey of self-discovery and coming out is the emotional core of She’s the He, and Misha’s superb turn makes said arc all the more moving and resonant. Part of the joy of “trans cinema” for me, as with any minority who sees themselves represented on screen, is getting to see a film which speaks to my personal experiences, the struggles I’ve been through, and the love that I’ve found from fellow queer and trans folk; given its transgender focus and largely trans and non-binary cast, I’d inherently have found She’s the He to be an important work of cinema regardless of my feelings on it otherwise, but I wasn’t prepared for just how powerful some of the sequences and character beats in this goofy teen comedy ended up being. There’s dumb fun (and even some rather clever fun) to be had here, for sure, yet somehow the aspect which stuck with me most from She’s the He was its very serious, sincere, and heartfelt exploration of a coming-out story. For all the absurdity of its premise, I could see a lot of myself in Ethan and her story, and for that I applaud everyone involved in the film’s production – not least Misha herself. In a world where award ceremonies aren’t so needlessly afraid of anything comic, she’d rightfully be awarded for her performance here.
There’s dumb fun (and even some rather clever fun) to be had here, for sure, yet somehow the aspect which stuck with me most from She’s the He was its very serious, sincere, and heartfelt exploration of a coming-out story
She’s the He is also just a very entertaining watch. Comparisons to other recent teen comedy romps with LGBTQ+ leads such as Bottoms (2023) and Booksmart (2019) are likely going to be inevitable, but that’s no slight towards the success of She’s the He as its own film – rather, I’d argue that those comparisons place the film in good company. Not every joke lands, but the ones that do land hard, and I can easily imagine a cinema audience losing their minds over certain set-pieces; it’s the kind of film which practically begs to be seen with a crowd, especially if that crowd is primarily made up of members of the queer community.
It’s a stylishly playful piece, filled with unconventional, quirky editing and little flourishes of animation that perfectly compliment its fun, offbeat tone; for a directorial debut, She’s the He is very stylistically confident, and McCarthy manages to successfully pull off the aesthetic they’re going for at every turn whilst maintaining complete tonal control. Even in the little moments where She’s the He edges towards potentially feeling a little messy or confused, it still feels consistent in its aim – growing up and coming to terms with your own identity are messy and confusing processes, and in a way, I like that the movie occasionally reflects that in its plotting and technical form.
She’s the He is equal parts ridiculous and moving, profane yet profound, light-hearted yet down-to-Earth… and it’s undoubtedly one of the stronger cinematic offerings that I’ve caught this year so far. The fact that this hasn’t been picked up by a distributor yet is absolutely criminal – hopefully that will soon change following its International Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. If you get the opportunity to catch this one in cinemas, go and see it, and go and see it with friends. It’s a bloody good time – in at least one scene, quite literally, but you’ll have to watch the film to know what I mean by that.
She’s the He! International Premiere as part of the Official Selection at the BFI London Film Festival
