TRANSFORMER: A Transformative Transition
Feel free to write this off as transitional narrative banality. Just know, Michael Del Monte’s mirthful documentary carries an edifying weight that few films can muscle. Almost paradoxically, in just over an hour, this soaring evocation of the persevering human spirit is so gratifying that it will be a weight off your own shoulders. Which may or may not be (spoiler alert, it definitely is) because of its warm hearted subject.
The subject of Del Monte’s latest sports documentary is Janae Marie Kroczaleski, also formerly known as Matt Kroc in bodybuilding circles. Then known as an “alpha male” with epigrammatic muscles that bulge through pale veiny skin, an unyielding mass that put their contemporaries in vain when taking home the solidified title of bodybuilding champion in 2010. But true strength is measured when one is at their weakest. Despite a broad stature that would suggest a bleached Hulk, we come to realize that their smashing machismo was no more than armor shielding a boy from life’s piercing affliction. At heart, Michael always felt she was a woman.
Transformative Years
Growing up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Matt put on the pounds for high-school football and the Marines as a facade to hide their conscious gender seesaw. Teetering in his own right, Monte triumphantly walks the line between sentimental character study and urgent social drama. By the same token, Janae proves to be an inspiration to all those who have the pleasure to make her acquaintance; family, fellow transgender weightlifters, and audiences alike. And what’s not to like?
I love how the film takes the time to bask in the warmth that is Janae’s relation to friends and family. Hardened hearts will swoon as our struggling heroine lets out wide smiles as she plays with her three understanding boys. Her unswerving affection for her children is never made more clear than in an open air adventure to a river that runs as long as her journey. The amber sun mirroring a cuddly energy that ebbs and flows through water fights and canoe rides along autumn leaves; as the camera wades in the distance, as the movie decides on a direct cinema approach. Antithetical are scenes in which dresses, wigs, and makeup are greeted with parents who can’t makeup their mind regarding the transition.
Thankfully, these are unusual sights in an otherwise delightful odyssey. Even if the willingness to conform to “complete womanhood” unravels at a microscopic pace (it can occasionally, for lack of a better word, drag), time still tends to fly by in this optimistic breeze. Besides, much of the psychological ambivalence, I believe, comes from watching the old macho mannerisms battle it out for a spot in the final product. It’s “alpha male vs girly girl” she jokes.
This is no joking matter, of course. But you wouldn’t know it from the inviting smiles that greet our lovable pioneer. It is a thrill to see a defenseless Janae be greeted with open arms by all – except her job and sponsors. Which is where it takes off. Encouraging fellow transgender individuals to be accepting of who they are, to never be confused by societal misconceptions; a lighthearted approach that oozes acceptance.
If happiness and gratitude stem from acceptance, then Janae and her film flower from just that. This is a film that not only will enlighten those who are struggling in their body, but also those muddled by the concept of somebody like Janae. We begin to understand her psyche when she says “At this point I can cope with being a big muscular woman.” Sure, it could be said that her convex deltoids don’t seem natural breathing for air under her silky dresses. But in fact, that proves that we, as a society, have been swayed to fear the divergent. Delightedly, our physically and mentally secure heroine is just the thing the world needs.
Transformer: Conclusion
It might be easy to confuse Del Monte’s stirring documentary with the monotonous Hollywood franchise Transformers on the basis of its name. But Del Monte isn’t concerned with enduring monoclonal robots. The subject of his story may be built like a Decepticon, but don’t be fooled, this badass bodybuilder fills life’s punches with a gravity that is unmistakably human.
Were you inspired by Transformer? Let us know in the comments below!
Transformer opened October 19, 2018.
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