Songs for Alexis

Eighteen-year-old Ryan is trans: he was born a woman but goes through life as a man. Ryan candidly talks about the removal of his breasts and his desire to have belly hair. His mother is pretty matter-of-fact too, as we can see when she casually shares Ryan’s history while shopping with a girlfriend. For Ryan’s 16-year-old girlfriend Alexis, it was love at first sight. We hear about their encounter in an endearing home video: “You didn’t know I was trans?” asks Ryan yet again. “Totally clueless,” Alexis replies. At times, we are almost voyeuristic witnesses to their cuddling, chatter and jealous bickering. As long as Ryan can perform as a singer-songwriter at a big music festival in San Francisco, everything is going great. In the meantime, however, his relationship with Alexis is suffering. It turns out that Alexis’s dad is dead-set against his daughter having a relationship with a transsexual, and death threats directed at Ryan follow. is a film about love, identity and the courage it takes to follow your own path in life.