The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone review: An refreshingly uplifting documentary about trans joy

3.5/5

Story:

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone chronicles the life of Georgie Stone, an openly transgender Australian teen who was one of the youngest persons to to receive hormone blockers in Australia. The documentary short gives a glimpse into Georgie’s life as a trans youth and the legal hurdles she had to jump through in order to medically begin her transition. The struggles she went through due to the extent of the court’s involvement in medical transitions of transgender youth,which inspired her to fight to overturn the law, are also depicted.

Review:

Stories of trans joy are a rare occurrence in cinema, even today. Although highlighting the issues that plague the community is definitely important, reducing their stories only to their trauma does not do justice to the richness and layers of trans lives. The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone seeks to tell a real life story of trans joy, through the story of its titular protagonist, a young trans activist who sought to change the lives of trans youth in Australia for the better.

The documentary chronicles the life of Georgie Stone, a trans woman who became as one of the youngest persons to to receive hormone blockers in Australia. The documentary short follows Georgie from the early years of her life, narrating her struggles after coming out as trans as early as 9 years old. Her difficult journey to get past legal hurdles to medically transition before puberty led to Georgie and her family fighting the law in court, so as to enable trans youth to transition without the involvement of the court.

One of the starkest things about the documentary is the fact that it chose to highlight Georgie’s victories and her euphoria of finally getting closer to living her life as authentically as possible, without belittling the struggles she went through to get there. Told through her own perspective, viewers get to see an unfiltered account of how young Georgie challenged the status quo. Despite getting the green light for her own medical transition, the young woman chose to continue the battle for the young trans community at large.

The narrative is kept as authentic as possible, and the way Georgie’s misgivings about her gender affirming surgery, something she’s waited for for the better part of her life, show just how complex and nuanced the experience can be for trans people. A part in the documentary where she says ‘I don’t want to be trans’ and follows it with ‘I still want to be Georgie’, is particularly moving.

The documentary does a stellar job at providing a close and personal look into the thought processes a young trans person goes through, coloured by their experiences and the level of support they get from the outside world. The subject of pre pubescent medical transitioning is still a hotly debated topic globally. The way Georgie describes how important early medical intervention was for her physical and mental well being, which will hold true for almost every trans teen as well, provides a crucial perspective in the issue.

The length of the documentary, less than 30 minutes, definitely hindered just how much of Georgie’s story could be told. But despite the short runtime, The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone’s attempts to shine a light on the joys, and struggles, of a trans youth fighting to live her life as authentically as possible.

Verdict:

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone is an uplifting and enlightening story of trans joy. Through telling her own story, Georgie Stone provides an important perspective into the subject of medical transitioning for pre pubescent trans youth that lawmakers and cis allies should take note of.