azureforever I haven't even dared to watch this yet. My other trans friends have watched it and simply told me to avoid it, that as well of a job the actor who played Gwen did, it was still misrepresenting us.I know for a fact that if you are not trans, watching a movie -- ANY movie -- will not help you understand what it is like. You can look at a bird, or you can ride in a plane, but you'll never understand what it's like to fly unless you have your own wings. The same is true with us - I was almost killed by family for being myself, and I have things easy. You can't understand what that feels like until it's happened to you.I don't need to watch this movie to know that it will raise awareness, but please don't say in reviews that it's helped you understand what we go through if you yourself aren't transgendered. I still recommend it as a movie to raise awareness, though, because anything can help. A huge "Thank You" to director Agnieszka Holland for shedding a little light on the hate we fight daily.

KandiiLipz This movie is amazing. I enjoyed it very much. The story is very sad, and its even sadder that its a true story. J.D Pardo acted out the parts very well. He did an amazing job. I love the moral of the story and I think everyone should learn from it. The moral would be to accept people for who they are, don't judge people for that's on the outside, love and accepted them for what's underneath. This movie will definitely make you stop and think how cruel society can be. I'm glad they brought Gwen Araujo's story to life. I think it was time her story was heard. The people who acted in this movie did an amazing job. I can't see anyone else better for his movie then these people. I'm glad they made this movie as touch as it was. May Gwen rest in peace.Thanks: Nicole

jep831 I had no idea this movie even existed until it was announced in the local newspapers a few days in advance. I made a special point of viewing it, as I had attempted to follow in the news the complex court case that took place many years after the tragedy.The movie was very well done. I think the music was a bit heavy-handed, ditto some of the "dream" sequences. But the writing was solid and the performances strong, especially the dual leads played by relative newcomer J.D. Pardo as Eddie/Gwen, and veteran accomplished actress Mercedes Ruehl as Sylvia. I also thought that Joey, Joey's ex-girlfriend, and Sylvia's other two children were well portrayed.I hope this movie will enlighten some viewers as to how difficult life for a transgender person can be and how real the phenomenon is. I have a middle-aged friend who recently became a male-to-female TS person (hormones, surgery, etc.), and it is not something that anyone would do because of a phase, a whim or any other trivial motivation.

bkoganbing Gwen Araujo was born some twenty years ago as a biological male and raised with a brother and sister in a single parent household. It was apparent as shown in the film that Eddie as he was known then was feeling that the anatomy given at birth was not matching what was felt inside. In the teen years, Eddie took the name of Gwen to show her real persona and that was what she presented to the world.If the Gwen Araujo Story has a weakness it's that their are no really developed secondary characters in the film. It is dominated completely by Mercedes Ruehl as Gwen's mom and J.D. Pardo as Gwen.But these are two very powerful performances indeed. Ruehl is a loving, caring mother whose own life experiences have left her ill equipped to comprehend what her child is dealing with. As for Gwen, she's an innocent adolescent, but a brave one. Not comprehending why she's the object of such hate and ridicule, but determined to present herself to the world as she sees herself. Pardo does a great job in capturing both parts of Gwen's character.Had this been done for the big screen we might have gotten a more well rounded film, but as a made for TV film this is definitely one of the better ones. Hopefully a couple of Emmys might be in the future for both Ruehl and Pardo.It is also to be hoped that this film will educate and enlighten the public about transgender teens and what they face in their daily lives.