As a cisgender, straight, white female, I don’t seem like a likely candidate to speak on stories about the transgender community. But I have plenty experience living as an outcast. And that feeling and internal struggle is identifiable no matter what your race, pronouns, or labels.
I grew up in an era where gay characters were just entering mainstream culture. Now, we’re beginning to see transgender stories being told. One such filmmaker, Tamir Yardenne, is adding to this growing representation with the short film, “You’ll Be Okay.”
“You’ll Be Okay” film summary
A trans woman named Gloria meets up with her estranged parents at a restaurant in an attempt to make amends so that she can convince them to let her come home. When her mother refuses until she agrees to live as a man, Gloria gets drunk at the restaurant and meets up with an ex-cop named Jimmy. Jimmy gives her a place to stay and helps her work through her problems. But Gloria’s past catches up to her, leading to a violent and tragic encounter that ends with a glimmer of hope.
The characters
“You’ll Be Okay” is a beautifully shot film that in 18 minutes develops a comforting and fulfilling relationship between two very different characters. The story unfolds between these two in a way that keeps you guessing as to how it will all play out.
Gloria must compromise her relationship with her parents in order to live her most authentic life. However, the decision eats away at her because of the sacrifices that she must make in some areas in order to find peace in others. At one point, Gloria says to her mother, “I can’t live with you, and I can’t live in a lie.” Sometimes getting what we want out of life isn’t enough to make us happy. We have to miss out on other things through no fault of our own yet with the consequences that mirror as if we have done something wrong.
The solution to Gloria’s problems comes in the form of Jimmy. It’s an unlikely relationship between a cisgender male ex-cop and a transgender female prostitute. Jimmy is the hero of Gloria’s story, leading her out of the tunnel she is in just enough to be able to see the light at the end of it. He is a respite from the loneliness and sadness that is eating away at her, offering no judgement and asking for nothing in return. In a word, he’s safe. And safety is a valuable asset to anyone but particularly to Gloria.
The actors bring a ton of heart to their performances, though the deliveries feel a bit amateur at times, as if they are reading lines rather than acting. Angel Qinan’s Gloria and Michael Charles Lopez’s Jimmy have decent chemistry, though, and they pull off a relationship that you can root for.
The message
Without giving too much away, the story aims to show audiences the struggles that the transgender community still face in the world. It’s not enough to take the leap to transition. They often have to leave the entirety of their old lives behind. It’s a scary notion.
We all make hard choices in life, but some of those choices are unfair in the ultimatums they are often given. The fact that Gloria chooses a life of prostitution over a life with her beloved yet disapproving parents shows the audience that transitioning is more than a choice; it’s a basic need.
While she’s a sympathetic and likable character, Gloria can also be self-centered, as well all can be when we’re at a low point in our lives. Without giving anything away, her concerns in the most tragic moments are with herself so much so that she can’t even acknowledge the suffering of those around her or the danger lurking in the shadows.
My recommendation
I recommend “You’ll Be Okay” to indie film fans who love character-driven stories about topical issues that balance tragedy and hope. The film is full of beautiful shots in an urban setting. It also touches on an unsettling yet truthful message. I hope that such stories will begin to evolve into happier yet continually realistic tales as more transgender stories are told.
An interview with Tamir Yardenne
What do you want your viewers to take away from “You’ll Be Okay?”
I am not female, I am not Asian, I am not Gloria in this film, but for a time during “You’ll Be Okay,” my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory, I learn something about what it must have been like to be her. The struggle is real for a lot of trans people.
Sadly, too many transgender or gender non-conforming people have been fatally shot or killed by other violent means in this country and around the world. These stories go unreported, or misreported, and the majority are women of color.
Representation matters. With our film’s heroine, trying to survive the streets of Los Angeles via any means necessary featuring a trans actor in the part of a principal trans character is a good thing – a sad anomaly in the film, however. I would love to help change that narrative. To de-emphasize the trans community is a mistake. You may not understand or even agree with their lifestyle, but they are still God’s children.
Characters are seen wearing masks in the film. How challenging was it to film during the pandemic? How did it factor into the story? Did you have a favorite scene to shoot?
Whispers of horror stories were beginning to make their way around town as COVID hit the Hollywood industry right as we decided to go into production. Logistics for these production shoots are complicated to begin with, and now, adding the extra layer of all the safety protocols and testing that had to be figured out quickly was a challenge, especially if we wanted to submit “You’ll Be Okay” into the SF Trans Film Festival in time, which was just around the corner.
When productions need to stay lean, indie films have an obvious advantage. Taking care of the crew while ensuring the safety of the cast was the main challenge and focus while shooting. It all sounded daunting at the beginning of the journey. But with the help of my team and my COVID Compliance operator, Kate Rees Davies, we felt somewhat confident in moving forward.
Because of this new norm, we didn’t have a choice. So, I initially made the film set in pandemic times from the beginning. Scenes from “You’ll Be Okay” follows a mask-clad Gloria as she goes through some existential life crisis during a pandemic. The actors remained decked out in PPE for much of the movie, and we practiced social distancing as much as possible.
We were cautious, unsure, and it felt ominous at times because we were literally risking our lives to do our art. The inescapable weight and gravity Michael Lopez (our executive producer and writer) and I felt was hard to ignore. And we are grateful for all who lent their talents to make this happen. And, yeah, not only did we complete the film in time for the submission into SF Trans Film Festival, but we were officially selected to be in the festival. YAY!!!
Each character has a specific role to play in Gloria’s life. How did the actors contribute to bringing these characters to life onscreen?
When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That’s what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. Because our lead, played by Angel Qinan, is a trans actor she was able to bring a nuance that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. From our first table read, the actors were on board lending not only their talents but their insights into the world and the wants and needs of each of their characters.
The ending is sad but hopeful. Without giving anything away, do you feel that Gloria will achieve happiness?
Gloria is a powerful character, played with astonishing grace and tenderness, and to feel her story is to be blessed with her humanity. Have we all felt? Have we all been afraid to move past our fears? Have we all lost precious things in our lives? Have we dared to dream? Gloria endures and prevails, and so, hope lives.
How can viewers check out your film?
Right now we are doing the film festival circuit but hopefully, it’ll be available on the streaming platforms in the future.
Links to the film and filmmaker’s social media (links will open in a new tab)
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