The Rib

Huanyu, a 32-year-old designer, knows he is a woman born as a man and has a support system of transgender friends, doctors, and his straight best friend/roommate. However, sex-reassignment surgery legally requires parental approval and Huanyu’s pious Christian father sees this as a deadly sin. This breakthrough film illustrates the intense stigma and obstacles that the LGBT community must face in China, offering an inside look at both the marginalized and those who condemn them. Striking black-and-white cinematography with an occasional glimmer of color underlines both the authenticity and hypocrisy portrayed in this stinging drama inspired by real events.