Although LGBT+ themes have gradually found their place in (Asian) cinema, the same does not apply to transgenderism, a concept that is very rarely examined. Actress-turned-director Moon Hye-in tries to mend the issue by placing her protagonist, a gaffer, in a movie set and highlighting the ways other people interact to Miho.
Transit is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
The story takes place in a remote house in the dead of winter, where Miho, a highly skilled and quite famous among her colleagues gaffer tries to light up the sets of a horror movie featuring an older lady and a little kid. She just had gender reassignment surgery and her overall reluctance becomes obvious in all her interactions in the set. Even more so, when the little girl, Baek-ho tells her off for passing as an aunt not as an uncle. Furthermore, the whispers behind her back eventually reach her ears, while a small injury in her head makes things even more difficult. As Miho's sense of isolation becomes more intense, Baek-ho comes to her rescue.
Moon Hye-in presents the concept of prejudice against transgender in a rather subtle fashion, as in this case, it is communicated through whispers, looks, and thoughtless comments, all of which highlight the response of the general public, in a way though, that also shows the fact that people are also not sure of how to treat a transgender. The fact that they are not vocal or offensive about it does not ease Miho's burden, who does not know how to treat them or how to ask to be treated as just a normal person.
That the solution comes from a little girl, whose innocence is eventually proven the only medicine for Miho, is a rather appealing element here, that adds much to the entertainment the 27 minute short offers, also due to adorable performance of Kim Kyu-na in the role. The elderly actress is another point of attraction with her “raw” ways, with her interactions with both Miho and Baek-ho being among the best moments in the movie. Lastly, the way Moon Hye-in implements the meta level of a movie about a movie is really interesting, also in the way the horror premises are implemented within the narrative, with the cinematography used as both a horror element and for deadpan humor, with the night scenes and the shadow play in particular staying on mind. The same applies to the editing, which induces the movie with a relatively fast pace that adds to the two aforementioned elements
“Transit” is a well-shot, entertaining short that manages to makes its comments through a non-polemic approach, and that is where its true value lies.