Blue ID

On October 4, 2012, a beaming Rüzgar Erkoçlar received his first testosterone injection, marking an important step in his gender affirmation. Could he have imagined then how arduous that journey would be? That traditional Turkey would make him front-page news because previously he was a well-known actress? That hostile rants would circulate on social media and his family would have to fend off the tabloids? That he would be mercilessly condemned for wanting to become the man he always was?

Maybe so, because this film leaves no doubt about the degree of homophobia and transphobia in Turkish society. For Rüzgar, the crowning glory of his transition is the exchange of his pink identity card for a blue one. The entire process, a path paved with frustration, humiliation and endless waiting, is captured in home movie-esque observations and self-assured phone videos.