Disclosure
2020, 1h 40min
Available on Netflix
Disclosure (2020) is a documentary that examines the history of trans folk in movies and television. Similar to the Celluloid Closet (1995), the film reveals how presentations of trans characters evolved over time, often in more progressive and empowering ways. It begins with examples from early silent cinema where trans characters were placed in subtle yet notorious roles. Disturbingly, some of these roles were associated with cutting or other deviant bodily practices. While the trans experience on-screen has diversified, problematic portrayals of trans people still echo in our modern media landscape. For example, the documentary critiques the stereotypical roles in which modern trans characters are placed—often in either the role of a (murdered) sex worker or the role of a hospital patient who develops cancer as a result of hormone therapy. The documentary also claims these depictions wouldn’t be as problematic if the media had more diverse portrayals of trans people. This is especially true for trans men who appear on screen less than trans women, which may be a result of our society’s prevailing sexism where (straight) male actors are favored. In fact, there is a problem with casting straight/cis actors to play trans characters, some of whom are preferred by studios because they appear “more trans” in makeup than real trans actors. There is also the problem of inventing or using trans characters for the sole purpose of developing straight characters (i.e., The Dallas Buyers Club).
Perhaps most troubling is the violence and disgust directed towards trans people on screen. Several oppressive tropes are critiqued in the film, one of them being the forced exposure of a trans characters’ genitalia. These scenes are described as triggering scenarios for some of the trans people interviewed in the documentary. Another oppressive trope is treating trans bodies as the butt of jokes or as disgusting. Indeed, the tendency for straight characters to vomit when seeing a trans body is a humiliating trope that should not be repeated in future productions. Finally, there is the trope of asking about a trans person's genitals and the individual's history with (or intents of getting) surgery. The hyperfocus on surgery is not only rude and demeaning, but it also obscures other essential dimensions of the trans experience.
Overall, Disclosure is an eye-opening and gripping documentary. It is also highly intersectional with a strong focus on differences between race and social class in the trans community. Thankfully we have begun to see more diverse trans characters in positions of social power. Yet the controlling images from the past still affect public perceptions of trans people. Becoming aware of these insidious stereotypes will help advance trans representation in film and other social arenas.