Bruce says: "In film, difficult subject matter is always a favorite domain of mine providing it is in good hands. With XXY, director Lucia Puenzo - daughter of Luis Puenxo whose THE OFFICIAL STORY is perhaps the most famous film to emerge from Argentina - has created a film of incredible sensitivity and depth. The film is based on her husband’s short story 'Cinismo' about Alex, a 15 year old hermaphrodite. Puenzo wrote the screenplay herself and significantly expanded the short story to include relationships other than the two teenagers who are central to the original story.

"Until about five years ago infant 'normalization surgery' was the popular mode of dealing with hermaphrodites; the sex of the child was based on the surgical decision and little tracking was done after surgery to determine how the child adjusted psychologically. Consequently, statistics regarding post pubescent hermaphrodites are not readily available. The second most obvious reason is the taboo factor; parents of hermaphrodites are often reluctant to discuss their children. Today the prevailing attitude is to let the child develop and see which sex becomes more psychologically predominate. That, as XXY so expertly explores, is not as easy as it seems since the child is reared and conditioned to be only one sex. At age 15 the hormones begin to kick in…but which ones?

"The key to making such a story believable is to cast the central character properly. It is difficult to imagine a more perfect actress to play Alex than Inés Efron. She’s sometimes androgynous; at other times she is quite feminine. The specter of Alex’s sexual complications influenced her parents move to a remote area on the seashore. Raised as a young girl, she is beginning to shift gears as her masculine side emerges. Her parents are nurturing yet at a loss to answer Alex’s questions such as 'If I’m special why can’t I talk about it?'

"Before the film begins some incident has occurred between Alex and her boyfriend Juan (Guillermo Angelelli). Influenced by concern over Alex’s future, Alex’s mother (Valeria Bertuccelli) has invited a renowned surgeon (Germán Palacios), his wife (Carolina Pelleritti) and son Alvaro (Martín Piroyansky) to their home under the pretense of it being a social visit. Alex’s father (Ricardo Darin), a marine biologist, does not know why the guests have come.

"Alvaro is a strangely withdrawn child. When he and Alex go off on their own, Alex is the immediate aggressor in the relationship saying, 'I’ve never fucked anybody, would you like to?' Alvaro is terrified by the suggestion. The next time they meet Alex does not give Alvaro a chance to say no.

"When Kracken discovers his wife’s motive for inviting the guests - to force the decision for Alex’s surgery - he is angry at first. He does some research and finds a married man in a nearby town who, after being raised as a girl, has had reconstructive surgery fairly late and is able to a normal, fulfilling life. When Alex gets attacked by a gang of young boys, Kracken decides it is the time to force some issues. Calmly he approaches Alex and brings up the subject of making decisions; he is shocked by her response. Meanwhile, Alvaro’s father is asking questions about what went on between Alvaro and Alex. He is neither sympathetic nor understanding in dealing with his son’s emotions. Unlike Kracken he gets very little information from his child. The two scenes between father and child hold the key to the film’s ultimate success; they summarize the issues perfectly while providing dramatic highlights. 4.5 cats

"XXY screened at the 2008 New Directors/New Films series sponsored jointly by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MOMA."