[more info]
Matt "Kroc" Kroczaleski was a world-record weightlifter with lucrative sponsorships. As a US Marine and bodybuilder, he was a poster boy for masculine body image. But in the summer of 2015, he was publicly outed as transgender—and quickly dropped by sponsors, banned from competing and renounced by his parents. Matt's dual life came to an end as she made the decision to transition to Janae. Wearing makeup while pumping iron and looking for outfits that complement her muscular 250-pound frame, Janae is surrounded by her admiring sons and supportive friends. But it's her emotional, rather than physical, transformation that's truly the heart of this film. Her vulnerability is balanced by strength, her confidence tempered by concern for others. Her openness to documenting the sometimes painful process of letting go captures a timely story of finding acceptance for being who you are. Alexander Rogalski
Co-presented with Inside Out.