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Both

Name: Both
Director: Lisset Barcellos
Released: 2005
Duration: 86 min

Representation Score

9.6/10

Excellent

2005

Director

Lisset Barcellos

Runtime

86 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film is a profound deconstruction of biological essentialism. By centering an intersex protagonist, the film disrupts conventional expectations of identity and challenges the medical-industrial complex's role in enforcing assumptions about gender and biology. The narrative moves beyond mere labeling to explore bodily autonomy. It frames the protagonist's journey as a reclamation of self, resisting the impulse to 'fix' bodies that do not conform to binary standards. Drawing from personal and communal experiences, the film provides a rare, intentional look at identities shaped by multiple aspects of diversity. It successfully critiques the systemic imposition of gendered hierarchies through a deeply personal lens.

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Category Breakdown

Does Both have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film centers an intersex narrative, featuring Rebeca, who is explicitly bisexual. It explores the complexities of non-binary biological realities beyond simple identity labels.

How does Both portray gender?

Excellent

By exposing the artificiality of the gender binary, the film challenges traditional hierarchies. It illustrates how gender can be a performance mandated by surgical intervention rather than an innate truth.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Both?

Good

The protagonist's Peruvian heritage adds a layer of post-colonial complexity. Ancestral artifacts like a family photo album connect her current identity with her cultural roots.

How does Both represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative critiques Western medical authority and traditional family structures. It prioritizes the subjective truth of the individual over institutional norms and social conformity.

Does Both include disability representation?

Excellent

Intersex variations are treated as fundamental human diversity rather than a condition to be cured. The film avoids clichés, focusing instead on the psychological and systemic implications of Rebeca's diagnosis.

Present on Screen

Exceptional centering of intersex narratives often sidelined in queer cinema.
Strong challenge to the gender binary through a critique of medical intervention.
Avoids 'inspiration porn' by giving the protagonist significant control and psychological depth.

Limited or Absent

The primary focus remains heavily on gender and biological identity over ethnic nuances.
The intersection of Peruvian lineage could be more deeply explored alongside the central medical themes.

Official Synopsis

Rebeca Duarte is a strong woman and resolute bisexual. Drawn to the risk and adrenaline-rush that her job provides, outsiders think Rebeca must have it all together. But Rebeca is still looking for something more. When she receives an unexpected package from an aunt, Rebeca’s neatly wrapped life begins to unravel. The package contains a photo album of her family in Peru, including pictures of her brother, who died before Rebeca could know him. The photos set off memories that cannot be silenced. As she follows the leads, Rebeca learns a truth about herself that shakes her to the core: the brother she was always told about was, in fact, herself. Rebeca learns of her childhood diagnosis as a hermaphrodite and the ensuing surgery that turned her “officially” into a girl. A compelling and skillful telling of a necessary story, BOTH is based on the experiences of the filmmaker as well as those of many other intersex adults.

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