strange sex

In addition, I would like to share an idea I had a long time ago that I keep re-visiting. I once invented for the purpose of writing a short story an actress who performed in a fictional film I called Strange Sex. The film within the story revolves around a FTM transsexual who must not only contend with the trials and tribulations of dating and relationships as a new man, but also his so-called liberal mother's disapproval of his transformation.

Here in an excerpt from a fictional entertainment article about the actress, Aliceanna Rose, playing the transsexual, Sam:

"There is a scene in Strange Sex, where Sam, who has just convalesced for a period of four months following his sex-change operation, looks at himself in the mirror. It is a long scene, clocking in at over three minutes. Completely silent. From the side, we watch as he touches his penis. Eventually, his tears stop and he bursts out laughing, smiling back at the reflection. When he decides he has had enough, he nods approvingly, wipes the tears of laughter from his face, and steps away from the mirror. This scene is one of the most human ever captured on film. Newcomer Aliceanna Rose conveys the visceral catharsis of a person--finally--feeling at ease in his or her skin. And this is also the first scene of the film."

The actress later goes on to win numerous film awards for Best Actress. When she accepts her first award of the season, she asks rhetorically, "Why haven't I won Best Actor? I played a man."

I post this incomplete fictional idea now because I would love to see Strange Sex as a movie someday. Just imagine the image and narrative you're immediately confronted with. And what would it say about performance?