Hermaphrodites Speak! - Review - movie review

Journal of Sex Research, August, 2000 by BJ Rye

The written comments were particularly poignant and reflect the value of viewing the video for the students. In reading the comments, four general areas emerge:

1. Information and awareness was gleaned about intersexuality, of an empathetic nature in particular (e.g., "The intersexed have had to endure many more hardships than any of us could ever imagine" and "I would like you to know that I want every person to see this film so that they might understand and lose the fear that too many people express about intersexuals.").

2. Questioning by students of surgical and medical management in the case of an intersexual child--and in some comments, outrage that this had occurred (e.g., "In general, I feel the medical profession needs to be tolerant of difference. Perhaps revise their current procedures and understandings" and "The theme I get from this video is that we (our society) should let Mother Nature take its course [sic]").

3. The value for intersexed individuals of speaking to similar others (e.g., "Intersexed people feel as though they are alone in the world, that no one else [is] like them, yet when they get together, there are more than just them." and

"I support the making of the video both for healing and for information that has been hidden").

4. The anger of the intersexed people participating in the video (e.g., [The main thing that I got from this video was] ... "that there is a great amount of anger and frustration among hermaphrodites" and ... "However, as a general tool to educate the population at large [this film] will only alienate ... [intersexuals because of] ... their uncontrolled anger and disdain for those who were only acting on society's part NOT independently [i.e., medical teams are acting on society's behalf]"

These comments illustrate the value of the video to students who, for the most part, had been previously unaware of issues surrounding intersexuality. Most of them felt positively and viewed the video favorably. Some found the anger toward physicians expressed by the participants somewhat off-putting. From a cost-benefit perspective, it may be a more valuable and impacting experience for the viewers to see the anger, frustration, and pain of the people who have had negative dealings with medical professionals than to delete it in order to avoid alienating a subset of the viewing population (e.g., "I never realized the major emotional impact that surgery had ... the theme of mutilation was so prominent ..."). Many students indicated that they appreciated the honesty and emotion presented in the video. It may be the strength of this emotion and conviction that allows the viewers to empathize with the participants in the film.

It should be noted that the filming of the video is amateur, with poor sound and video quality. Many students suggested that the camera would have been best placed on a tripod. These technical difficulties detract from the messages of the video. On the other hand, the amateur quality may lend more authenticity to the stories. Perhaps in a follow-up educational video, the content and information in this film could be redone with a more professional videographer.