While we’ve definitely begun to see a breakthrough in the way transgender people are portrayed on the big and small screen, the new film A Kid Like Jake is treading still unexplored territory. One of the most talked about films at Sundance, it’s directed by trans filmmaker Silas Howard, who has previously been behind episodes of Transparent and This Is Us. Howard’s film takes a look at how children first begin to realize their sexual identity, and the factors that influence their perception of it.
The cast Howard put together is impressive, with Jim Parsons, Claire Danes, Octavia Spencer, Priyanka Chopra, Ann Dowd, Amy Landecker, and newcomer Leo James Davis leading the way. The story follows Alice and Greg, New York parents whose 4-year-old son Jake likes fairy tales and wearing dresses. When the preschool director suggests his “gender expansive play” may be more than just a phase, his parents must begin to reexamine their roles as parents.
This is already turning out to be a big year for LGBTQ representation on the big screen, but A Kid Like Jake, which opens June 8th, looks like another huge step forward.
