C'mon. How could he not know 'She' was a 'He'?
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Hyman_Flomax — 13 years ago(January 04, 2013 12:26 AM)
I wouldn't have guessed it if someone hadn't told me before I saw the picture for the first time. I've seen it 6 or 7 times and I still have difficulty perceiving Dil as a male because Davidson's effete affect is performed with such conviction.
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benilana — 13 years ago(January 05, 2013 04:55 PM)
I saw it in the theaters when it first came out and there was talk of a big shocker, but I honestly thought Dil was a woman until I saw the "goods." And I remember a LOT of gasps in the audience. Maybe this is because the movie came out not long after the 80s, a decade with a lot of sexual ambiguity (women w/ short hair, shoulder pads & ties, men wearing pink shirts, tight pants & eyeliner, etc). Watching it now, I wonder how I didn't know.
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eelaynuh — 13 years ago(January 12, 2013 03:53 PM)
People see the movie today and judge it by today's cultural norms. Homosexuality, transgendereds, all these things weren't as commonplace or embraced/tolerated as they are now. People had no reason to suspect that Dil was a man.
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mrnocal — 12 years ago(July 12, 2013 08:35 PM)
The first time watching the movie (not knowing), I did think it was a woman at first (a woman with some masculine traits, but a woman nonetheless). The majority of people who saw the movie without knowing thought the same.
The sad part of movie history is that this aspect of the movie has become practically common knowledge and unfortunately influences viewers who have that knowledge and pretty much look for things knowing what is. In this case, the not knowing was to me an advantage in enjoying this movie. Doesn't hold up quite as well knowing now and watching again, but still an excellent movie. -
ecidnac — 12 years ago(October 23, 2013 07:51 PM)
Except Dil ISN'T "a dude." The twist isn't that Dil is a man because she's not; it's that she's transgender but hadn't had genital surgery, which meant she had a penis. Dil lived as a woman; she is absolutely
not
a he.
I don't approach people with suspicion, like "hmm her hands are big; could she be genetically male?" or "he's awfully 'pretty'; maybe he's transgender?" There are allll sorts of people with allll sorts of characteristics (genetic women with broad shoulders and big hands, genetic men with Cupid's bow lips and soft features, genetic women with hairy hands and boxy builds, genetic men with curvy bodies, etc.) I know a genetic woman who very much resembles Dil facially; that doesn't mean she looks like a man. Ascribing certain traits solely to one gender (saying a man has "feminine features") is completely wrong, especially since most features have everything to do with a person's
ethnicity
, and absolutely nothing to do with their
gender
.
I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class, especially since I rule. -
Starcraft_rules — 11 years ago(April 29, 2014 11:29 AM)
I thought she looked like a dude, but didn't think that the movie could be about that. Maybe actress was transgender or something. Wanted to check IMDb after watching the movie to see if people think the same. But then the twist happened.
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Keely — 11 years ago(September 23, 2014 05:28 PM)
mmmodjo, if you don't want spoilers for movies that were made over 20 years ago, don't you think it's a good idea to stay away from their message boards? I do agree that the spoiler didn't need to be posted in the Subject line.
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bradford-1 — 10 years ago(July 24, 2015 12:37 PM)
I first saw this at the New York Film Festival. I'd seen the director's other film, MONA LISA. There was no buzz about this one. I do remember thinking, "That gal's hands are kinda big," but the reveal knocked me off my chair.
May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle? -
Rajesh_pimp06 — 10 years ago(January 20, 2016 05:13 PM)
Agreed! Not just from the way he looked but from his/her voice? That was clearly the voice of a fella and not a woman. It didn't take Fergus long to get over it though did it? I found that part most odd. And Dil is just a twatty name. LOL