batuhancanliturk There is always one question that comes to our mind when we see a pregnant woman, is it a girl or a boy? It seems like we don't have any other options to be. Because of the heteronomy, we are defined to be only a male or a female depending to our gender identities and our gender roles. Gender role is specified within the society by dressing style, parlance and behaviors. However, gender identity is formed with the help of inheritance and external factors. In instance, how you feel about yourself and your instincts show your gender identity, while your dresses represent your gender role within the society which you live in. According to the gender roles which society give us, we are expected to act normal related to our gender identity. At this point, a question arises: "what is normal?". When we view from heteronomic perspective, there are two norms for the individuals. Either you should be a male and have behaviors for men or you should be a female and act like women. Hence, there are black and white without any different color. Everything in this world is formed to fit in this manner. Despite the fact that we have seen different and unusual occurrences like in the movie. The reason of calling them different and unusual is very obvious after we encounter with heteronomy. Because of the society, we internalize the normality of genders as we born.The idea of having two sexes is very complicated and nonsensical for the today's world and its gender roles. A little while ago, homosexuality were seen as a disorder and doctors were trying to cure that. In other words, they were searching for a way to normalize the person who were homosexual. By the way, we still have societies who believe and agree on that. I observe the same attitude for the people who have both sexes. It appears that we have become more develop some way or another, in this movie, Alex who is hermaphrodite, refuses to be operated to deform herself either a man or a woman. She is a naturally born individual with both genders. Understanding herself and deciding what she wants are vital and it should be only her concern. Her parents want Alex to be a girl, however first she starts to discover herself and her preferences. Although all reactions and attitude from her community, she decides to remain what she is. We should ask ourselves if we have right to choose both. We are stucked in the boundaries between the accepted definitions of male and female that demonstrates homophobia inherent in forcing the "unusual" to be "normal." It's more of an inborn perception that anatomical sex which is defined systemically base sociological gender norms and gender identities, is entirely reversed that a biological difference produces social consequences at our security in the human identity. This unsettling and distressful occurrence has a power to overthrow our presumptions about sex and gender identity. Not only our presumptions, also our beliefs are challenged in such a way. By this opinion, we should critique about our social indoctrinations and associations between external rules and gender.

kestonnhorst There's little that hasn't already been said about the portrayal of hermaphroditism and the confusing life of being intersex (and it's worth objectively recognizing these topics which the film addresses as directly and unapologetically as possible), so I'd prefer to highlight some of the film's impressionistic impacts: first off, it may well be an uncomfortable watch. The discomfort stems less from co-experiencing struggles like relationships, sex, social mistreatment, and rape. It's more of an innate recognition that anatomical sex—something definite enough to systemically base sociological gender norms and identities on—is being muddled and entirely overturned, that a biological mishap produces social ramifications that chisel away at our security in the human identity. Much of the distress hints at internal presumptions about sex and gender identity; it is unsettling to have your beliefs revealed or challenged in such a way. By this personal reaction we can judge how well-reinforced our social indoctrinations to sex and gender are, and how deeply we associate external rules on such to define what is and isn't prototypically human.With regard to cinematography, qualities like lighting and color are executed meticulously to achieve yet more subconscious effect. Near overuse of darkness and the color blue paint the movie in dismal tone, while the rare touch of orange—especially during scenes depicting Kraken's unwavering love for Alex or the close friendship she shares with very few other teenagers—adds warmth and feeling to the pervasive numbness.The film's mood haunts the audience throughout as it calls into question the once-solid notions of a clean division between male and female, something played off of for contrast by the film's own language and symbolism, such as Kraken sexing a sea turtle in one of the movie's earliest scenes and the marine study tags turned into necklaces by Alex. XXY pseudo-establishes and later mocks definition of its subject matter; Alex and Álvaro's fathers practice surgery and would normally have their own concrete understandings for sex and gender; Álvaro is revealed to be gay despite his earlier openness toward sex with Alex (whom he had thought to be a girl) only for her to penetrate him.XXY is not a fun watch, nor is it a light or trivial one. It attacks one's own beliefs and presumptions about sex and gender, and its cinematographic direction should not be brushed off as overly-dramatic. While it might not earn everyone's appreciation, it without a doubt demands everyone's attention.

Claudio Carvalho In a small coastal town of fishermen in Uruguay, the biologist Kraken (Ricardo Darín) works and lives in a house at the sea side with his wife Suli (Valeria Bertuccelli) and their aggressive fifteen year-old daughter Alex (Inés Efron).When Suli welcomes her former best friend Erika (Carolina Peleritti) that comes with her husband, the surgeon Ramiro (Germán Palacios) and their teenage son Alvaro (Martín Piroyansky) to spend a couple of days with her family, Kraken learns that his wife invited Ramiro to operate Alex. Meanwhile Alex and Alvaro feel attracted by each other; however, Alvaro finds that Alex is hermaphrodite and she finds that Alvaro is gay. But the troubled and outcast Alex has the right to choose what gender she wants for her. "XXY" is a cruel and heartbreaking movie about coming of age, rejection, sexuality and choices. Alex has loving parents but is rejected by the locals and is not sure about her sexuality while Alvaro is gay, rejected by his father and also a confused teenager. The story is very well developed and supported by magnificent performances. For those like me that do not understand the title "XXY", I searched in Internet and found in Wikipedia that "Klinefelter's Syndrome, 47, XXY, or XXY syndrome is a condition in which a human has an extra X chromosome. While females have an XX chromosomal makeup, and males an XY, affected individuals have at least two X chromosomes and at least one Y chromosome." However, Alex is clearly hermaphrodite and the article does not mention this medical condition for XXY Males. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "XXY"

countrygirl_jo I won't repeat the extensive plot summaries offered by others, but simply say this is a wonderful, affecting film. As others have said XXY is NOT an accurate title for what the character of Alex is going through as this chromosomal picture would likely produce different development for her, but you can forgive it that. Intersex people (not 'intersexuals', or 'intersexed') - a term in growing use is people with DSD (Disorder of Sexual Development) - though rare , and more prevalent than you might think. Hospitals all over the world still take babies with 'ambiguous' genitalia and force on their parents surgery to put their kids into one gender 'box' or the other. Sometimes this can cause horrendous pain for the child as they grow - especially as puberty arrives.Something of this is touched upon here; the parents have bravely refused surgery for Alex (her father calls her 'perfect'), but have had to flee their home to another country in the face of prejudice and ridicule. Society's attitude is coldly portrayed by the surgeon and his wife, whose real agenda is to mutilate Alex to fit society's norms - irrespective of her (or, in fact more accurately, his) sense of self identity.The performances are tremendous, all round. From the two young teenage leads they are astounding. Strongly supported by Ricardo Darin who plays Alex's father. It's a film of great tenderness and compassion, and despite a rather bleak ending conveys great hope as a family grapples and comes to terms with the struggle of the child they thought was their daughter but is in fact their son.Beautifully, sparingly shot. Unsentimental and very moving.