A moving and intimate story of a family in transition, REAL BOY follows the journey of trans teen Bennett as he navigates adolescence, sobriety, and the physical and emotional ramifications of his changing gender identity. Through the process, his mother Suzy makes her own transformation — travelling a difficult road toward accepting that the daughter she raised as Rachael is now her son, Bennett.
“The struggle to find our identity, to be our true self is universal,” said Lois Vossen, Executive Producer of Independent Lens. “The discovery of who we really are, versus who we believe we are meant to be, is at the core of Haas’s remarkable film.”
Through observational storytelling that is alternately heartbreaking and humorous, REAL BOY offers a clear-eyed look at a family tested by a change they never imagined, the complexity of addiction, the healing power of music, and the unbreakable bond between mother and child.
Filmed over the course of four years, REAL BOY is a love story about a mother and son who rediscover connection with each other and find support from their communities, reminding us that families are not only given, but chosen. REAL BOY is screening around the country as part of the Indie Lens Pop-Up Screening Series. The film premieres on Independent Lens Monday, June 19, 2017, 10:00 PM ET/PT (check local listings) on PBS.
Produced and Directed by Shaleece Haas. Read more about the film and watch the trailer here.