myflyingjellybean This is the story of a soldier, Barry Winchell, and his girlfriend, a trans gender showgirl named Calpernia Adams. Barry is a private soldier in the airborne infantry and kind of had a very masculine image among the group. Barry, who is not gay, has little personal conflict when deciding to be with Calpernia and his friends from the infantry especially Fisher cannot not accept the fact that he is in love with a man. This movie made me cry when I watched it. The acting is superb, and the characters are realistically complicated and not at all watered down. The relationship between Barry and Calperina is lovingly drawn, and I really felt their connection throughout the film. This is such a sad movie because Barry was basically killed for being in love and because of the wrong assumption and hatred from his bunkmates.

tuc35043 This film is about a soldier falling in love with a transgendered female performer at a club. He met her in the club and got addicted to her at the first sight. They then kept a secret relationship between each other. However, homosexual people are banned in the army. The main character, Barry, refused to admit that he had a transgendered partner and struggled very hard. Meanwhile, his roommate Fisher, had a special feeling toward him. His trans phobic feeling is hidden in his heart, at the same time he is jealous of the couple being in such a good relationship. He manipulated Glover, who also had a bit of psychological problem, to show his strength by hitting Barry. At the end, Barry got hit seriously by Glover and died. This film strongly criticizes the American law of banning homosexuality in the army. At the time of when this movie was made, homosexuality was still banned, until recently President Obama abolished the regulation. Personally, I think the original intention of this law is to avoid any relationship among the soldiers in the army, as all of them are male. However, it turns out to be discrimination in some way. Homosexual people can be as strong as the other soldiers and should be treated the same.

gradyharp SOLDIER'S GIRL was released in 2003, a landmark, brave film that stirred a lot of controversy as well as a lot of plaudits for the superb work of cinema that it was. The story was written by Ron Nyswander ('Philadelphia', 'The Painted Veil', 'Mrs. Soffel' etc) and the director was Frank Pierson, also aligned with many important films as both writer and director ('Dog Day Afternoon', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'A Star is Born', 'Truman', 'Citizen Cohn', 'Presumed Innocent', etc). Obviously made on a low budget, the corners were cut where they should have been, not on the quality of the cast or the impact of the story. It was and remains a brilliant film. Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) is a sensitive, quiet soldier who is manacled by a homophobic roommate Justin Fisher (Shawn Hatosy). Justin takes Barry to a nightclub where the performers are 'guys in drag' as a challenge to understand Barry's somewhat subdued nature. There Barry observes performer Calpernia Addams (Lee Pace) and despite the negative atmosphere Justin has created, Barry connects with Calpernia. Calpernia is working to get the money to have her final transgender surgery: the reason she works in the club is to make enough to pay the bills and save for her surgery. Barry and Calpernia become a couple despite all the cautions they fully see. Barry's fellow soldier's do not understand how Barry can be attached to a 'freak' and despite Barry's love for Calpernia and Calpernia's protective outlook for Barry, the relationship is tested daily. Barry is ostracized by his soldier 'friends' and in a brutally honest scene, Barry is beaten to death by Fisher. How Calpernia endures and the fate of the perpetrators is decided leads to the ending of the film. In performances as real and powerful as those of Lee Pace and Troy Garity and yes, even Shawn Hatosy, the spectrum of the many permutations of the film are brilliantly delivered. All are excellent, but the extraordinary work by Lee Pace (who has since become a very important actor in many films) deserves as many awards as possible. The story is tough but exceptionally important, especially the manner in which it reveals the psychosocial and physical makeup of transgender people. The film is at once a stunning love story as well as an exposé of man's inhumanity to man and the rigid impact of the military still bound by ancient and crude rules of behavior. This is a film to see repeatedly for many reasons, not the least of which is that it has become a banner film for transgender citizens. It is based on a true story, a fact that makes it all the more painful to see. Grady Harp

j-lacerra Soldier's Girl is an excellent movie, with spot-on performances from Troy Garity as Barry Winchell, and Shawn Hatosy as Fisher. Lee Pace is as convincing as can be as the transgendered Calpernia. The tragic story plays out very realistically. Winchell falls for Calpernia and is harassed by his comrades for it, as well as punishing himself with guilt and doubts. We feel his anguish.The Army is portrayed rather negatively, as a corral of drunks, half-wits, and societal rejects. I don't think we see an officer during the entire flick. Philip Eddolls does a commendable job portraying Glover, the deranged teen soldier, obviously shoved into the Army to avoid some sort of trouble in civilian life. We are not particularly surprised when he turns homicidal in the finale, his unbridled rage making the expected tragic element in the story somewhat shocking just the same.The only weakness in the movie is that Lee Pace's appearance is never really convincing as a beautiful transsexual. He looks rather manly throughout and would clearly be 'clocked' in about two seconds out in the real world (unlike, say, Jay Davidson in The Crying Game). Neither make-up, surgery, supposed hormones, or Pace's considerable acting skill can pull off the idea that he is a stunning "trannie". His Calpernia would not have won any pageants, and thus blows (sorry) the tenth star in my rating.However, that last bit aside, this powerful movie is a must-see!