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My Son Helen

Country: Germany, Language: German, 89 mins

Original Title

Mein Sohn Helen
  • Director: Gregor Schnitzler
  • Writer: Sarah Schnier

CGiii Comment

Continuing with the trans bandwagon...

Let's make one thing clear...once upon a time in the not-so-distant past, there was a perplexing ethos (evidence of its existence - unfortunately - still survives today): just because it's gay, it's got to be good...what unadulterated drivel.

That same malfunctioning ethos has shifted into the recent splurge of trans films...any criticism is brandished 'transphobic' - what unadulterated drivel.

So...at the risk of being brandished...My Son Helen is utterly atrocious.

Finn, a 16 year old boy, goes on a school exchange to San Francisco...one year later, his poor father is met - at the airport - by Helen, his 'new' daughter. No warning...just a self-centred revelation and an expectation that life will trundle on just like before - in a skirt.

Further developments reveal that his dead wife...signed and forged his signature so that Finn could go on medication to stop the onset of puberty...in preparation for the operation, a minimum of two years away.

The deceit!!! This poor papa continually gets his faced whacked...

To off-set this maelstrom, a little comedy is introduced by way of a subplot...a series of internet dating encounters between the father and prospective partners...it just serves to make the film that little bit more intolerable.

The central (and key) performance is a badly-postured squirm...Jannik Schumann, obviously chosen for his pretty boy looks (hence, pretty girl) rather than his acting ability...that's a little too cruel - he does improve in the more dramatic scenes.

The film's failings lie squarely at the feet of an inept director...for failing to recognise a dire script...and, for lazy, haphazard direction.

Go watch Boy Meets Girl instead.


Trailer...

The(ir) Blurb...

Tobias Wilke is surprised and shocked when he picks up his son Finn at the airport, after a year abroad in the USA. The 16-year-old now presents himself as Helen. During his time in the US, (s)he has accepted that she has always felt like a girl in boy's body and now she dresses as such. Helen wants to undergo a gender reassignment surgery. While Tobias is shocked at first, he starts dealing with the question of why he never realized how unhappy his son was. As a good father, he tries to understand the new situation and gets adjusted to the fact that he has got a daughter now.

Cast & Characters

Heino Ferch as Tobias Wilke;
Jannik Schumann as Finn Wilke / Helen Wilke;
Winnie Bowe as Diana Calis;
Kyra Sophia Kahre as Jasmin Thalheimer;
Judith Rosmair as Gabi Schafer;
Timur Bartels as Adrian Peschel;
Zoe Moore as Louisa Atalay;
Ozgur Karadeniz as Boris Atalay;
Sanne Schnapp as Petra Atalay;
Thilo Prothmann as Helge Schott;
Milena Dreissig as Mimi Schott;
Rafael Gareisen as Christopher Funke;
Hauke Petersen as Theo Kalkbrenner;
Luc Feit as Dr. Noak;
Beatrice Richter as Frau Wilke