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Framing Agnes

Play trailer 2:03 Poster for Framing Agnes 2022 1h 15m Documentary LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 42 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
The pseudonymous Agnes was a pioneering transgender woman who participated in an infamous gender health study conducted at UCLA in the 1960s. Her clever use of the study to gain access to gender-affirming healthcare led to her status as a fascinating and celebrated figure in trans history. In this innovative cinematic exercise that blends fiction and nonfiction, director Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man) uses Agnes's story, along with others unearthed in long-shelved case files, to widen the frame through which trans history is viewed. Through a collaborative practice of reimagination, an all-star cast of trans performers, artists, and thinkers -- including Angelica Ross (Pose), Jen Richards (Mrs. Fletcher), and Zackary Drucker (Transparent) -- take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments, bringing to life groundbreaking artifacts of trans history. This collective reclamation breaks down the myth of isolation among transgender history-makers, breathing new life into a lineage of collaborators and conspirators who have been forgotten for far too long.
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Framing Agnes

Framing Agnes

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Critics Consensus

Framing Agnes may be frustratingly uneven as a work of cinematic storytelling, but that's often outweighed by its thoughtful expansion of established historical narrative.

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Critics Reviews

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Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times 12/15/2022
A fascinating, multidimensional, mosaic-like glimpse at transgender life from the 1950s to today as interpreted by — and through — a group of transmasculine and transfeminine performers and creatives and one uniquely impressive academic. Go to Full Review Barry Hertz Globe and Mail 12/07/2022
With only Garfinkel’s archives to go on, Drucker is able to give a sly, necessarily mysterious air to Agnes’s life. And, yes: the format is quite fun to watch, too. Go to Full Review Matt Fagerholm RogerEbert.com 12/02/2022
3/4
Essential viewing. Go to Full Review Sarah Vincent Cambridge Day 08/16/2023
2.5/4
The narrative switches between past and present, re-creation to reality, somewhat akin to Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce’s 2019 doc “Framing John Delorean” (2019), with Joynt being more on target and effective with the structure. Go to Full Review M.X. Katyayani OffColour.org 07/20/2023
8/10
Having seen all the Trans 101 required material, I went into Framing Agnes expecting honesty, emotions and a dash of trauma. Still, nothing prepared me for what happened in the ensuing 75 mins. Go to Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall 02/24/2023
4.5/5
Expanding his 2018 short, filmmaker Chase Joynt deconstructs drama, documentary and pastiche in a way that's riveting and entertaining. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Framing Agnes

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Cast & Crew

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Chase Joynt

Director

Angelica Ross

Actor

Jen Richards

Actor

Zackary Drucker

Actor

Max Valerio

Actor

Silas Howard

Actor

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Framing Agnes

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Framing Agnes

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Movie Info

Synopsis The pseudonymous Agnes was a pioneering transgender woman who participated in an infamous gender health study conducted at UCLA in the 1960s. Her clever use of the study to gain access to gender-affirming healthcare led to her status as a fascinating and celebrated figure in trans history. In this innovative cinematic exercise that blends fiction and nonfiction, director Chase Joynt (No Ordinary Man) uses Agnes's story, along with others unearthed in long-shelved case files, to widen the frame through which trans history is viewed. Through a collaborative practice of reimagination, an all-star cast of trans performers, artists, and thinkers -- including Angelica Ross (Pose), Jen Richards (Mrs. Fletcher), and Zackary Drucker (Transparent) -- take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments, bringing to life groundbreaking artifacts of trans history. This collective reclamation breaks down the myth of isolation among transgender history-makers, breathing new life into a lineage of collaborators and conspirators who have been forgotten for far too long.
Director
Chase Joynt
Producer
Samantha Curley, Shant Joshi, Chase Joynt
Screenwriter
Chase Joynt, Morgan M. Page, Chase Joynt, Morgan M. Page
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Production Co
Level Ground, Fae Pictures
Genre
Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 2, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 31, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA)
$48.1K
Runtime
1h 15m