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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

XXY

EMAILPRINTFilm Movement

XXY reviews
67
7.8 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Sergio Bizzio (short story "Cinismo")
Lucia Puenzo

Directed by: Lucia Puenzo

Release Date:
Theatrical: May 2, 2008

Running Time: 86 minutes, Color

Origin: Argentina / France / Spain

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Ines Efron, Martin Piroyanski, Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli, and Carolina Pelleritti

For just about everybody, adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing 15-year-old Alex, who was born an intersex child. As Alex begins to explore her sexuality, her mother invites friends from Buenos Aires to come for a visit at their house on the gorgeous Uruguayan shore, along with their 16-year-old son, Alvaro (Martin Piroyanski). Alex is immediately attracted to the young man, which adds yet another level of complexity to her personal search for identity and forces both families to face their worst fears. (Film Movement)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle David Wiegand

As finely crafted as a great work of literature.

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88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The shots are beautifully composed, the editing paces the process of self-discovery, the dialogue is spare and heartfelt, the performances are deeply human -- especially by Efron.

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83

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

The word "hermaphrodite" is never actually uttered, for instance, and the whole topic is revealed obliquely, mostly through the puzzled eyes of Alvaro. Most impressively, a tale that could have been handled with condescending simplicity becomes a testament to the flawed but noble humanity of both parents and children.

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75

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Ines Efron and Martin Piroyanski give strong performances as Alex and Alvaro, respectively. Debuting director Lucia Puenzo, who co-scripted, tackles a dicey subject with sensitivity and taste.

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75

TV Guide Ken Fox

Efron's remarkable performance as a wild child who seems to truly exist somewhere betwixt and between is riveting.

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75

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The acting is uniformly strong, the visual approach self-effacingly honest.

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70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Moody and thoughtful.

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70

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

XXY is, in the best possible sense of the word, an awkward film.

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70

The New York Times Stephen Holden

If XXY is imagistically too programmatic (a scene of carrots being sliced is typical of its Freudian heavy-handedness) and devoid of humor, it never seems pruriently exploitative. It sustains an unsettling mood of ambiguity that lingers long after the final credits.

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70

The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis

The story of a young hermaphrodite who's not sure if she's emotionally a boy or a girl manages to be both raw-edged and moving.

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70

Variety Jonathan Holland

Picture has more in common with standard child-parent conflict dramas than it would probably care to admit, but its sensitive treatment of an equally sensitive theme elevates it into something memorable.

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63

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The grown-ups in Lucia Puenzo's XXY are a glum lot.

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50

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

It's set at a beach house, but we see only gray skies, and though Efron has a wary and cutting intelligence (it matches that of the fine actor Ricardo Darin, who plays her father), the effect is tepid and damp.

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50

Village Voice Nick Pinkerton

It takes a controlling hand to chisel something more contoured than monotony out of this dense angst, and director Lucía Puenzo doesn't have it, though Inés Efron, as Alex, gives a committed centerpiece performance with a nice, slightly lupine grin.

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30

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

The genitally ambiguous as well as transsexuals and gay people deserve more than XXY's good intentions.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Steve gave it a7:
Affecting and thoughtful drama with an outstanding lead performance.

Jahne W. gave it a7:
This is a pretty good movie. I liked the directors chioce of using cool colours because that added to the mood of the movie. It had a very sad and depressing mood to it. Also, I do not speak spanish and I still enjoyed watching this and it caught my attention. For me to be interested in a movie I can't understand the diolouge to is a plus.

bruce s gave it a5:
This is not a very good movie...of course not it's what can i say.....it's grotesque or really strong for me sorry.

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