Directed by Kelley Kali and written by Shonnie Jackson, after holding a catastrophic dinner party, a long-term couple struggles for their marriage and identity, sparked by Elle’s recent transgender disclosure to her homosexual husband, Fritz. Starring: La Georgea, Dan Bucatinsky, L’lerrét Jazelle and Jack Turner.

Creating more films and television surrounding the Trans experience is vital as it contains such multitudes that no one project is ever really going to capture all of it. That said, elle/elle actually does manage to encompass quite a few different elements both from the perspective of a Trans person and their spouse, in under twenty minutes. More than anything it captures how painful it can be, it’s heartbreaking to watch Elle (La Georgea) working so hard to be her authentic self and not bend to what other people want, while her husband continually rejects her identity.

It’s an issue that countless Trans people will have faced, coming out and having to figure out how, and if, their long-term relationship can evolve into something new to fit their identity. Shonnie Jackson’s writing captures two classic questions that partners who are reluctant to acceptance typically have: what are the rules and what do we tell people? The quick answers are that there is no rulebook and what other people think is not a healthy concern, if they can’t be supportive then they don’t need to be in the equation. However, the road to arriving at that perspective can be a long and rocky one for many people. That’s exactly what Jackson and Kelley Kali portray with elle/elle.

They do a great job of folding the awkwardness into the atmosphere, and capturing how many conversations can have an intensely pointed, insulting nature, no matter the person’s intentions. The air isn’t too heavy or overly dramatized, it has a nice balance with the extremely supportive and compassionate attitude of Jaz, played by the wonderful L’lerrét Jazelle. She brings a huge confidence and steadfast presence, that’s filled with encouragement and self-respect. Jazelle is embodying that friend that all people need when going through something difficult.

Of course, it also helps that she has a sweet connection with La Georgea, the two are utterly convincing friends. Their dialogue feels very natural and there’s a lot of unspoken conversations at work with their facial cues which has a lot to add in their key dinner scene. In capturing Elle, La Georgea brings a great deal of elegance and undoubtedly an excess of patience. She has the type of presence and composure that comes from being a fan of classic Hollywood divas. Respecting the intense attention to detail and effort that goes into presenting oneself and your style. She’s fighting a lot of battles on the outside but also has that inner conflict of trying to reconcile being a people pleaser with not denying herself the right to be who she is, unapologetically and unreservedly.

With the outward battle being mostly that of her relationship with her husband, Fritz played by Dan Bucatinsky in a very tense, fraught performance. His portrayal represents an experience for many people, not just his character. The interesting element of their dynamic is that even in the height of their arguments, it never feels loud or brash, there’s an emotional nature to it. There is a lot of rejection involved and yet Bucatinsky doesn’t make that feel definitive, you can sense how that’s coming from a place of hurt and confusion, with the situation pushing him to consider his own identity. La Georgea and Bucatinsky build a convincing relationship that holds that feel of longevity and being genuine partners in life.

elle/elle is tense, heartrending and emotionally charged. It’s shot well to create a strong aesthetic to go alongside its compelling atmosphere. Kelley Kali and Shonnie Jackson impressively manage to create a well-rounded perspective of the experience within a relatively brief amount of time. The cast are all superb, and La Georgea and Dan Bucatinsky do a terrific job of portraying all the complex emotions at work.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯½ | 9/10

Screened as part of HollyShorts Film Festival 2025 on August 8