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ASIN : B000089725
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As Robert Eads puts it in one of the first scenes of this remarkable documentary, he lives in "Bubba-land"--which wouldn't be unusual if Robert weren't a female-to-male transsexual. Southern Comfort chronicles the last year of Robert's life, as he succumbed to, ironically, cervical cancer; over that year, documentarian Kate Davis developed an amazing intimacy with Robert and his adopted family of other transsexuals living in the depths of Georgia, including his vivacious male-to-female transsexual girlfriend Lola. The film's title comes from an annual gathering that Robert describes as "the cotillion of the trans community, the coming-out party"--an event part convention, part high school prom. Every scene testifies to both the enormous difficulties they face and the grace, humor, and sheer will with which they take it all on. It's not surprising Southern Comfort has won numerous awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews
Inspirational! (2003-12-24)  This film started out to be a curiosity for me and turned into a near tearjerker. This award winning documentary follows Robert Eads and his girlfriend, Lola Cola, during the last year of Robert's life (ironically, he's dying of Ovarian cancer). The story is told with Robert in the lead with his many friends and family around commenting on how life simply is. It's told in such a matter of fact way, you wonder they don't all just give up. In the extreme face of adversity, discrimination and hate, they have the courage to continue living. In fact, they prefer the isolated redneck country, as even in the more liberal city, there is more prejudice. All the 'female to male' guys are believable and only Lola Cola seems more like a drag queen, but this attitude soon diminishes as you see Lola for who he/she really is. Lola is simply a loving, caring person; someone that you feel just doesn't deserve this kind of hardship. In fact, none of these fine people deserve their fate. However, this film is careful to keep in the middle and there is no smaltz and few judgmental remarks - except, oddly enough, between themselves. These are people who have the courage to face their lives and live them to the fullest. It might be difficult to try and get into the heads of these people, but it is an exercise worth the effort. What one ends up seeing are simply true human beings with emotions and love for each other. This is something that seems to be lacking in so many other areas of society. This documentary is an invaluable slice of life. It is truly inspirational.
touching, enlightening, and profound (2003-10-28)  This sensitive documentary chronicles the lives several gender-bending and mind-bending sets of transsexual couples. The central character, who has become a man, is ironically dying of ovarian cancer. He was repeatedly refused treatment by the medical establishment because of his identity as a transsexual. The unconventionality of these individuals is touchingly contrasted with their fight for basic human rights, and their desire to enjoy the simple pleasures of domestic life taken for granted by most Americans. Despite some petty differences, they achieve compassion, humor, and tolerance in their interractions among themselves and with their "straight" families and friends. The dignity of their struggle brilliantly reveals that it is actually "mainstream" culture which is freakish, both in terms of its outrageous persecution and its irrational phobia of them. The final line of the film really stayed with me (I'm paraphrasing): "Nature delights in diversity, why can't human beings?" I was tempted to give the film five stars but I felt the cinematography could have been more creative and the editing could have been tighter. In terms of content, though, this film has a rare and transformative vision which would merit the highest rating.
A Gold Standard for Documentaries (2003-04-11) SOUTHERN COMFORT is everything documentary films (or 'docurama' as the film makers call it) should be: it is honest, illuminating, straight-forward, and technically well made. Kate Davis has given us insight into a community that is sadly neglected by society at large - the transgender community of male to female and female to male who are caourageous enough to follow their convictions that they were born with the wrong body. The film documents the last four seasons in the life of Robert Eads, a warm, crusty guy who was denied full gender change surgery by the medical profession in Georgia and thus still retains his cervix and uterus which have become malignant and eventually cause his death. His extended family of two other female to male friends (one of whom was given a botched breast reduction by the same medical profession), the two wives of these men (one a genetic female who had been married 7 times before to extremely abusive genetic males), Robert's love Lola Cola (a male to female woman of beautiful warmth and support, and Robert's own biological son (who still calls Robert 'Mom') and grandson. To see the way this quiet and lovely group of people stand tall in a world that despises them, who look forward to the annual Southern Comfort Weekend where transgendered people gather to nurture and celebrate each other, and who invite us into thier private lives is simply a beautiful experience for the viewer. Where other less sensitive directors could have made this film a sensational expose, Kate Davis has elected to keep it tender and true. Kudos to all concerned. This film should be in the archives of all Gender Studies programs.
A true must see (2003-03-02) This is the one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. It is a heartwarming, beautiful depiction of the last year of Robert Eads' life. I have seen it 10+ times and cry each and every time. It always leaves me filled with indescribable emotion for all those shown in the movie....I can't recommend it enough.
Humanity (2003-02-22) This was an incredibly beautiful, perfectly edited documentary. At first I thought it was a movie "based on a true story"--Robert Eads was so charming and crusty and southern, it was hard to believe he wasn't playing a part. The film does a great job of showing the humanity, concerns and pain of the subjects. All the folks who consented to be shown on camera should be given medals of courage. The film is lovely, melancholy, sad, uplifting, and honest. I highly recommend it--for ANYONE. Heck, I think my *mom* should see it!
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