Psychology

Plot Summary
Directed by Agnieszka Holland, A Girl like Me the Gwen Araujo Story is based on true events. This is the true story of a transgender teen brutally murdered by four boys. Played by J.D.Pardo, Gwens role is characterized by determination, willingness to fight social injustices and most of all love. The other powerful character is Gwens mom, Sylvia, played by Mercedes Ruehl.

The story begins in a court room. Through a series of questions and answers the plot of the story is revealed. Eddie is biologically a boy with the mind of a woman. He grows up to be a woman. The only support Eddie gets is from his mother. He is sent to a school only to be smiled upon. Eddie cannot continue school and instead goes to a Gender Identity Project Centre and changes his name to Gwen.
Back home his mother is well aware of the situations and tries her best to cope with it. At this centre Eddies mother learns that Eddie is biologically a boy but mentally a woman. Eddie is different in all aspects and his mother acknowledges the fact and calls him her daughter. In every social occasions Gwen dresses like a woman and behaves like one. On an occasion like this she meets Joey.

Gwen then falls in love with this ex-Marine Joey Marino. But Sylvia prevents this relationship because she does not want Gwen to get hurt. Gwen then parties with her friends concealing the fact that she is a transgender.  At a party like this Gwen is discovered to be a male and is brutally murdered by four men out of hate and frustration. Police investigations follow and four men are charged.                                              
The Transsexual Culture
The film depicts the culture relating to transsexual persons. The behavioral pattern of Gwen is a study in example. But more than that what is depicted here is the societys response as a whole towards transpeople. The biological reason for being a transgender is well established in the film but the reasons behind sharp reaction towards them are hazy. Cultural gaps between normal people and transpeople are like poles apart. Thats why when Gwen enters the school everyone stare at her, even one boy tries to molest her.

The development of identity is very sharp in this film. Whereas Gwens sister grows up to be normal child Gwen seems to take a different path. At one moment Chita, Gwens sister, seems to be Gwens alter ego. Chita comes to protect Gwen when she is attacked.

But the film also portrays the culture of those who react to a transperson. In most cases repudiation to a transperson stems from the belief that they are really queer.  In other cases it comes from envy. The thoughts that a transperson is enjoying at our expense and they are open to all kinds of pleasures often provoke violent reactions against them.

In the film Gwens killers vent their frustrations and anger on Gwen when they realized their desires will not be fulfilled.

Gender
One big issue the film discusses is the issue of gender. In the courthouse we hear the lawyer asking the question what is the gender of the victim Gender issues gradually come to the fore ground even as the story progresses. Gwens near kinfolks never approve of her because they dont want to look ridiculous in front of everyone. Gwen is not welcome to them.

The identification of a male or a female is all important to them. In a sense the family symbolizes the whole society when it comes to gender identification. For a society it is very important to read some one as male or female. It represents a desired metaphysics of presence. When this kind of reading is violated a reaction is constituted which is destructive.

Gwen, in this film, fails to be read as either a male or a female. This forces her family members to repudiate her. The only support she gets is from her mother.

Gwens Oppression as a child and as a teen.                                                            
From the very beginning of the film Gwen is seemed to be oppressed. Apart from society and her family members she is oppressed within herself. The fact, that her relationship with Joey is broken on the ground that she is a transperson, is too heavy for her to bear.

It is believed that this oppression comes from a feeling of threat to the hetero-sexuality, a desire to be perfect sexually and hide from any imperfection if there is.

Diversity, Body Language and Communication
The film depicts an Italian family of many children and family folks. The diverse culture of these people is juxtaposed with the trans-culture of Gwen. The family sits together, dines together and takes decisions together. Gwen is like an outcast to the family.  She is a marginalized character.

The body language that Gwen uses in this feature is superb Even when she is not speaking, her gait and moving of the fingers convey what she is going to say.  That is how she has fallen in love with Joey.
The communication between Gwen and other characters is not that of a conventional one.  For the most part of the film Gwen and her mother Sylvia try to convince each other that each is right. For other characters there is clearly a communication gap. Joey is easily led to believe that Gwen is a woman and it required Sylvia to break the news to Joey.

This communication gap persists throughout the film. We  dont  see  Sylvias  mother  making  any  attempt  to  bridge  the  gap  between  Gwen  and  herself.  This is one aspect of the social oppression that Gwen had to face when she attempts to make any move out of her own world.

A Girl like Me the Gwen Araujo Story is heart rending tragedy of a transperson surrounded by hate and oppression. Society pushes her to the limits. Her desire to have friends lands her in grave. She is duped, hated and finally murdered because her brain remained a womans brain inside her mothers fetus while the body developed a mans.