Martin Scorsese-Produced Trans Drama ‘Port Authority’ Is Quietly Progressive — Cannes Review

Nearly 30 years after “The Crying Game” depicted a man’s revulsion at discovering his partner was trans, “Port Authority” sets the record straight.

When Paul (Fionn Whitehead) learns that ballroom dancer Wye (Lenya Bloom) is a “femme girl” soon after their romance has blossomed, he doesn’t retch or try to flee.

The pair engage in a levelheaded debate about the ethics of communication, and then he more or less gets over it.Director Danielle Lessovitz’s proficient debut follows a lot of familiar beats, with the template for a gritty, naturalistic New York City love story about inner-city troublemakers done many times before.

Yet her ability to address the drama’s specific hook in measured terms enables this scrappy little movie to strike a quietly progressive note.“Kids” by way of “Paris is Burning,” Lessovitz’s story reorients the perspective of a straight white guy from the midwest by turning him into the outsider.

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