Educational Media Reviews Online

This documentary explores three children’s reactions when their transgendered uncle Bill decides to start living life as Barbara. The film takes a refreshing approach. The first half shows the children’s confusion in a way that makes an adult audience smile in sympathy rather than mockery. It opens with a scene where Abby, Olivia, and Chelsea are trying to explain the change that is taking place. The older girls, Olivia and Chelsea, feel like they won’t be excited to see Barbara. Abby, the youngest, wonders if Barbara will play Barbies and do nails. The film continues in this fashion. The girls’ parents talk about how they have tried to present this change to their children, they express their own confusion, and they also express the unconditional love that they continue to feel for Barbara.

The second half of the film centers on the family first encountering Barbara. Olivia and Chelsea run away and are shy and withdrawn at first. Abby is immediately accepting. Barbara shows patience and wisdom, though, letting the girls take their own time to get used to things, and, by the end, they’ve all come around. At the same time, the girls’ parents acknowledge that all is not rosy; another uncle is not adjusting well to this news and refuses to see Barbara. The children begin to question how others will react to Barbara when they find out that she used to be a man.

No Dumb Questions addresses some of the real problems someone who is transgendered may face, but it also shows a world that can be warm, loving, and accepting. This is an excellent primer for parents whose children are encountering this type of a situation. These parents and their new aunt Barbara handle the situation extraordinarily well, encouraging the children to ask questions, doing their best to answer them, and acknowledging their own confusion. Again and again, family members reinforce the reality that Barbara is still the same person she was when she was Bill. This film is entertaining for almost any audience, telling a story filled with humanity that may challenge many viewer’s notions about gender. It will serve as an excellent discussion-starter in high school and college classrooms. Highly recommended.

Awards

• Honorable Mention for Best Short Film, Sundance Film Festival, 2001
• Audience Award for Best Short Film, San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2001
• Skyy Vodka Audience Award for Best Short Film, Los Angeles Independent Film Festival - IFP/West, 2002
• Audience Award for Out-standing Documentary Short Film Outfest, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2002
• Best Digital Film, Shorts International Film Festival, New York, 2001
• Honorable Mention for Best New Filmmaker, Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, 2002
• Director's Choice Award, Black Maria Film Festival, 2002
• Lucy Audience Award, Newport International Film Festival, 2002
• Audience Award for Best Short Film, ImageOut - Rochester Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2002
• Best Short Film, Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2001
• Audience Award for Best Short Film, Boulder Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, 2001
• Audience Award for Best Short Film, Detroit Docs, 2002