Arianna addresses the issue of being born intersex (once called hermaphrodite), an issue that has life-shattering consequences for some, but is almost unknown to others. Intersex means being born with anatomy and/or a reproductive system that cannot be typically defined as either male or female. Carlo Lavagna's debut feature film is screening at the Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2016.
When an obviously intersex baby is born, the parents and doctors decide which sex that child will be brought up as. Surgery and hormone treatments often follow. This decision can have disastrous results for the child. Experts now recommend that parents defer surgery, enabling the child to make their own decision after puberty and when old enough to fully understand the implications of their decision.
It's estimated that one in 2,000 births results in an intersex child, according to the Intersex Society of North America. These figures make intersex an issue that should be more widely discussed and this is exactly what this film aims to do.
The film tells the fictitious story of Arianna. We are told right at the beginning that Arianna was born three times, first as a boy, then as a girl at the age of three, and then reborn again at age 20. The adult Arianna tells her story, which begins when she and her parents return to the house where they lived until she was three years old. Arianna is now 19 and noticing that her body is not developing properly. She has small, sore breasts, hasn't had her first period, and cannot org*sm. She sticks hormone patches on her stomach every day to help her "problems". During the holiday she begins to question her lack of development, to experiment with sex, and find out who she really is. There is a lot of focus on her sexual self-discovery, perhaps a little more focus than is required to tell the story.
Arianna is played convincingly by Ondina Quadri. Her performance won her Best Actress in a Debut Film at Venice in 2015.
There are two things that prevent this film from fulfilling its potential. Firstly, we are told right at the beginning that Arianna was born a boy, became a girl, and then later was born a third time. This knowledge takes away much of the mystery and we miss the opportunity to share in Arianna's journey of discovery. The ample clues along the way would have made for engaging and thought provoking viewing, a mystery being unravelled. The second issue is that often, when Arianna discovers some information about herself, the scene is cut short. We are left to assume that she has now been told something or discovered something, but we don't share her discovery or her reaction. This, once again, prevents us from fully engaging.
It feels as if the reason for making this film was to educate the audience about people born intersex and the issues they face. This cause has taken precedence over making a film that fully engages. Interestingly, Lavagna's only other full-length film was a documentary.
Having said that, this film should appeal to anyone with an interest in intersex issues, and also to those for whom the subject is new but would like to know more. Phoebe Hart's 2010 film "Orchids: My Intersex Adventure" covered the issue of gender ambiguity, but it is a subject rarely covered in fiction. More could have been made of this opportunity.
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