Give it up for the next generation. They know they have the power to change the world and they take it upon themselves to do it. Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos are aware of how we are headed backwards with progress to transgender rights. Instead of sitting around, they decide to take a stand. In their creative attempts, What Will I Become? was brought to life. A documentary that focuses on their community from their perspective.
Unfortunately the sad truth is that more than 50% of transgender boys have attempted suicide. These statistics are not just presumed, they are recorded by the American Academy of Paediatrics. From suicide plaguing their school, Bean and Rozos decided to explore the transmasculine community. Included in their exploration are the misconceptions around the male identity and how vulnerable they are. The filmmakers dive into their personal experiences while conjoining them with those of two young trans men who died by suicide.
For two young people to make such a powerful and inspiring documentary, not only for adults but for children as well, is truly remarkable. Not perfect in any sense, which does not matter when it comes to the overall impact of What Will I Become?
Blake Brockington and Kyler Prescott were the two young men whose lives ended too early. Blake was homecoming king while Kyler was soft-spoken. Both poets, musicians and community advocates, the world could not make room for what they could bring to it. It is an unfortunate reality that befalls so many of these young trans men. A reality that Bean and Rozos make clear to their audience, with some hope of perhaps stopping the cause. They know nothing can fix the problem fully, but hopefully through their documentary an awareness can be shared.
As What Will I Become? unwraps in front of you, it becomes clear just how much thought and passion Bean and Rozos put into their documentary. Not only reflective of their own lives, but also combining that with the lives of Blake and Kyler. The community might be ridden with a number of attempts, but they want the world to remember the joy and challenges they experience as well. The transgender community is discriminated enough against, and yet when one member dies, it might not be seen as news. For Blake and Kyler, however, the wider community flocked to remember their lives. Truly empowering, albeit you do wish more could have been done, and be done, to prevent these circumstances from occurring.
Strength in filmmaking and the power of community shine in What Will I Become? as all the elements come together. Tracing the lives of those of the past and those in the present, much can be said for the state of transmasculine mental health. Sharing their stories and also resources that affirm the community, provide an insight into understanding suicide-prevention practices. The medium of film, in this day and age, seems like the best way to get their message across. The more people who see this documentary, the more who will understand just how much so.
Vulnerable and honest. Bean and Rozos have a clear vision that comes across with a personal touch as well. What Will I Become? is a true homage to the transmasculine community and a wish for help. A start is a start and one can only hope it can travel further than this. There is hope in the world and it starts with the youth.
