Romeos
(2011), directed and written by Sabine Bernardi, is a German film directed by Sabine Bernardi that follows the story of
female-to-male (FTM) transgender character Lukas, played by Rick Okon. Lukas is a 19-year old nursing student who
has recently started testosterone therapy and is starting to physically look
more like a man. He is growing facial
hair, his body is changing, and he wears men’s clothing. He has legally changed his name from Miri to
Lukas and is now “passing” in public as a man.
However, because he has not fully transitioned and had breast removal
surgery or a sex change operation, he is placed in the female dormitories. He attempts to fix the mix-up by taking his
concerns up with the dean but quickly discovers that he will not be
supported. The dean meets with Lukas but
continues to refer to him as “she,” blatantly disregarding Lukas’ chosen gender
identity and appears more impolitely intrigued by Lukas’ transition than
genuinely concerned about the mix-up. Lukas
quickly realizes he will be stuck staying in the girl’s dormitories for a while
but is lucky to run into his childhood friend, Ine (Liv Lisa Fries). Ine has known Lukas since pre-transition and
offers her support and confidence as a lesbian and member of the LGBTQ
community herself.
Lukas and Ine participate in all of the normal college student experiences from dorm life to house parties to nights on the town. Ine’s character is beautiful, confident, and vivacious and she has no trouble finding acceptance amongst the mainstream community even as a lesbian. Lukas, on the other hand, often appears afraid and uncomfortable during these public outings as he struggles to feel comfortable in his own skin and has to hide who he really is for fear of not being accepted.
Lukas’ body dysphoria is on full display in several scenes throughout the film. As he is alone in his dorm room he is constantly fretting about his appearance. He lifts weights whenever he has the chance and keeps a log of his body measurements to track even the most miniscule of changes. There are moments when he stares at himself in the mirror, looking for new facial hairs and analyzing the masculinity of his facial features. These scenes of Lukas alone in his dorm room leave the viewer with a sense of anxiety and sadness as the room is dimly lit and plainly decorated, the focus being on Lukas as he stresses over his body.
Through he and Ine’s after-hours adventures he meets Fabio (Maximilian Befort), a “tall, dark, and handsome” epitome of the masculine ideal. At first, Lukas appears to be infatuated with Fabio purely for what he represents physically, the body that Lukas wishes to have. During one scene where Lukas and Ine are at the lake with Fabio and a group of friends, many of them strip down to their underwear to play in the water. Lukas sits on the dock with just his feet in the water, still fully clothed with layer upon layer to hide his still female body, and watches Fabio as he enjoys the water without hesitation. Lukas is in stark contrast to everyone else in his group of friends who appear comfortable with who they are and confident in their skin. Lukas, still early in his transition, is just not quite there yet.
While testosterone therapy has helped Lukas start to look and feel more masculine, he must take extra care and precaution in order to successfully pass as a man to the outside world. Scenes in the film show Lukas starting out his day by putting on a tight-fitting chest binder to hide his breasts. Chest binding is an uncomfortable but common practice amongst preoperative transgender males and is used as a temporary way to flatten the chest. In addition to chest binding, Lukas has to take extra time to carefully layer his clothing to hide any possible aspect of his feminine body. These extra steps are a painstaking and brutal reminder of Lukas’ differences as a transgender man and the fact that life is just not as simple for someone like him. He cannot just enjoy this time in his life as his friends do as he is forced to focus his energy on doing whatever it takes to pass as a man.
To complicate things, Lukas begins to have feelings for Fabio. Fabio reciprocates these feelings as a gay man. However, Fabio does not know that Lukas is transgender and Lukas struggles with deciding what to do. Should he cut things off with Fabio or tell Fabio the truth? It is obvious that Lukas feels comfortable with Fabio and being with Fabio brings Lukas out of his shell. Their time spent together involves a vibrant night life with loud music and bright lights as Lukas appears to forget his anxieties for a bit and genuinely enjoy himself in Fabio’s company. However, his decision to tell Fabio the truth could change everything for him. He could walk away with acceptance and happiness or he could walk away exposed and ridiculed. Lacking the confidence to tell Fabio the truth, Lukas tries to break things off several times. But Fabio is used to getting what he wants and relentlessly pursues Lukas.
Lukas ultimately decides to tell Fabio about his transgender identity and it does not end well. Despite being a part of the LGBTQ community himself, Fabio is not accepting of Lukas and immediately comes off as transphobic. He makes fun of Lukas and makes derogatory comments about “transsexuals.” However, he does not out Lukas to anyone else for fear of tarnishing his own reputation. This lack of understanding and acceptance by another member of the LGBTQ community highlights the unique struggles that transgender individuals face as they search for understanding and acceptance. There is a scene in the film that occurs shortly after Fabio learns of Lukas’ identity where the pair, along with friends, are at an LGBTQ friendly bar. An obvious male-to-female (MTF) transgender performer takes the stage and sings. Lukas becomes entranced with her performance while Fabio makes fun of her as she has an Adam’s apple and a deep voice. Lukas looks on almost in awe of her confidence but also painfully reminded of how the outside world sees transgender individuals, as something to mock.
Luckily, things do start to turn around for Lukas as he becomes more confident in his skin. Even Fabio has a change of heart realizing he is attracted to Lukas for who he is as a person and not based on binary gender definitions. The film ends on a positive note as we get to see Lukas post-op, running on the beach with no shirt on, without breasts. He finally appears to be happy and unafraid to be himself. Romeos successfully takes the viewer on a journey of transformation, with all of the highs and all of the lows. It allows for a realistic representation of one character’s transgender experience. It is gritty and raw and, at times, painful. But it is also hopeful. Lukas perseveres through a lot of the trials and tribulations that transgender individuals face and comes out on the other end, proving that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Lukas and Ine participate in all of the normal college student experiences from dorm life to house parties to nights on the town. Ine’s character is beautiful, confident, and vivacious and she has no trouble finding acceptance amongst the mainstream community even as a lesbian. Lukas, on the other hand, often appears afraid and uncomfortable during these public outings as he struggles to feel comfortable in his own skin and has to hide who he really is for fear of not being accepted.
Lukas’ body dysphoria is on full display in several scenes throughout the film. As he is alone in his dorm room he is constantly fretting about his appearance. He lifts weights whenever he has the chance and keeps a log of his body measurements to track even the most miniscule of changes. There are moments when he stares at himself in the mirror, looking for new facial hairs and analyzing the masculinity of his facial features. These scenes of Lukas alone in his dorm room leave the viewer with a sense of anxiety and sadness as the room is dimly lit and plainly decorated, the focus being on Lukas as he stresses over his body.
Through he and Ine’s after-hours adventures he meets Fabio (Maximilian Befort), a “tall, dark, and handsome” epitome of the masculine ideal. At first, Lukas appears to be infatuated with Fabio purely for what he represents physically, the body that Lukas wishes to have. During one scene where Lukas and Ine are at the lake with Fabio and a group of friends, many of them strip down to their underwear to play in the water. Lukas sits on the dock with just his feet in the water, still fully clothed with layer upon layer to hide his still female body, and watches Fabio as he enjoys the water without hesitation. Lukas is in stark contrast to everyone else in his group of friends who appear comfortable with who they are and confident in their skin. Lukas, still early in his transition, is just not quite there yet.
While testosterone therapy has helped Lukas start to look and feel more masculine, he must take extra care and precaution in order to successfully pass as a man to the outside world. Scenes in the film show Lukas starting out his day by putting on a tight-fitting chest binder to hide his breasts. Chest binding is an uncomfortable but common practice amongst preoperative transgender males and is used as a temporary way to flatten the chest. In addition to chest binding, Lukas has to take extra time to carefully layer his clothing to hide any possible aspect of his feminine body. These extra steps are a painstaking and brutal reminder of Lukas’ differences as a transgender man and the fact that life is just not as simple for someone like him. He cannot just enjoy this time in his life as his friends do as he is forced to focus his energy on doing whatever it takes to pass as a man.
To complicate things, Lukas begins to have feelings for Fabio. Fabio reciprocates these feelings as a gay man. However, Fabio does not know that Lukas is transgender and Lukas struggles with deciding what to do. Should he cut things off with Fabio or tell Fabio the truth? It is obvious that Lukas feels comfortable with Fabio and being with Fabio brings Lukas out of his shell. Their time spent together involves a vibrant night life with loud music and bright lights as Lukas appears to forget his anxieties for a bit and genuinely enjoy himself in Fabio’s company. However, his decision to tell Fabio the truth could change everything for him. He could walk away with acceptance and happiness or he could walk away exposed and ridiculed. Lacking the confidence to tell Fabio the truth, Lukas tries to break things off several times. But Fabio is used to getting what he wants and relentlessly pursues Lukas.
Lukas ultimately decides to tell Fabio about his transgender identity and it does not end well. Despite being a part of the LGBTQ community himself, Fabio is not accepting of Lukas and immediately comes off as transphobic. He makes fun of Lukas and makes derogatory comments about “transsexuals.” However, he does not out Lukas to anyone else for fear of tarnishing his own reputation. This lack of understanding and acceptance by another member of the LGBTQ community highlights the unique struggles that transgender individuals face as they search for understanding and acceptance. There is a scene in the film that occurs shortly after Fabio learns of Lukas’ identity where the pair, along with friends, are at an LGBTQ friendly bar. An obvious male-to-female (MTF) transgender performer takes the stage and sings. Lukas becomes entranced with her performance while Fabio makes fun of her as she has an Adam’s apple and a deep voice. Lukas looks on almost in awe of her confidence but also painfully reminded of how the outside world sees transgender individuals, as something to mock.
Luckily, things do start to turn around for Lukas as he becomes more confident in his skin. Even Fabio has a change of heart realizing he is attracted to Lukas for who he is as a person and not based on binary gender definitions. The film ends on a positive note as we get to see Lukas post-op, running on the beach with no shirt on, without breasts. He finally appears to be happy and unafraid to be himself. Romeos successfully takes the viewer on a journey of transformation, with all of the highs and all of the lows. It allows for a realistic representation of one character’s transgender experience. It is gritty and raw and, at times, painful. But it is also hopeful. Lukas perseveres through a lot of the trials and tribulations that transgender individuals face and comes out on the other end, proving that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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