Transfixed

By:
In-House Review - Oct 04 2007

Years ago, the lovely Bo Ancellin (Robinson Stévenin) was born into a bad set of circumstances. First off, as a male. Secondly, to an abusive father. Now an adult, Bo is back in the stew, again in danger of being abused - or even killed. She's called upon by the police, since Poppa is accused of abusing young boys. She's also infatuated with an adorably handsome yet mean-spirited rough trade neighbor, Johnny, who deals in and hustling. And - worst of all - someone's murdering transsexual prostitutes... which happens to be Bo's profession. Considered a suspect by a policeman, Huysmans, Bo takes it upon herself to sleuth around, and discovers that Johnny may be involved in the killings.

Chock-a-block with keeps-you-guessing red herrings and whiplash-inducing twists, Francis Girod's atypical, artfully paced trannie whodunit features a standout, critically acclaimed performance from Stévenin as the complex Bo - in 2002, he won France's Oscar equivalent, the César, for his portrayal. "Law & Order" and "CSI" have never been like this, so don't miss out! (French with English subtitles)

Lawrence Ferber

By: Amos Lassen

"Transfixed" is the story of Bo, a transsexual prostitute in Brussels who left home after being abused by her father and is now in another abusive relationship with a neighbor. She is also a suspect in several transsexual murders and in order to clear herself, she must become a detective.
Bo (Robinson Stevenin) is an entertainer in a drag club where are best friends are other transsexuals, namely Maeva (William Nadylam) who is also a performer. Others work as prostitutes and are becoming prey to a serial killer who disfigures them after murdering them. Bo is somewhat infatuated with her neighbor, Johnny, who has his own dark side.
When the police begin to investigate the murders, they notice that Bo is either at the scene of the crime or familiar with the victim. This presents a maze for the plot to continue. Bo's father is arrested for sexual harassment and Bo is questioned about the childhood abuse. Bo, in the meantime, is pining for Johnny and this presents problems.
The film keeps the viewer guessing and it is the performance of Stevenin that saves this movie-he is on screen for the entire film and is amazing.
The plot is complex and there is a lot going on. Dealing with the people who live on the fringe of society, we watch as they form their own family circle which is their support system. It is soon shattered by the murderer as he targets individuals. The movie in some ways has touches that resemble Hitchcock in its twists and turns. As Bo lives in a sexual playground, she is haunted by her childhood. She is reluctant to cooperate with the police because of the way she has been spurned by them and her relationship with Johnny is an obsession that drives her. His abuse feeds her passion for him and when he starts to hit her, she is ecstatic. What all this has to do with the murders is why I call the film "dramaless" drama. So much is going on that it is hard to follow. Director Francis Girod barely touches the concept of transexuals probably because he knows little about it and seems to understand it even less. There was potential for a good movie here but somehow it was lost.

By: yaaah69

One of the worst movies around and I hope you will read this before buying or renting... it would not even be worth looking at it on TV. I was so taken aback by the worst script in a century...I made myself watch almost all of it, but alas, could not bare another moment. 1/2 a star
ciao yaaah69