Films with trans characters where it's not a plot twist?

[Bramblethorn]

The other night I watched a film where one of the plot twists is the revelation that characters "John" and "Jane" are the same person, encountered at different times in their life. It was handled with compassion, and I thought the actress playing both roles did a really good job. But it got me thinking about how transgender characters in film are almost always there as plot devices, a way to shake up the protagonist's understanding of the world e.g. The Crying Game.

It seems really hard to find mainstream films where trans-ness is just presented as an aspect of characterisation and not as a plot element per se. The only one I can think of just now is an underrated rom-com "Chain of Fools" which featured Orlando Jones as "Miss Cocoa". She was clearly trans, not stealthy about it, and it wasn't treated as a big deal - I think her trans-ness is only mentioned once, nothing in the plot depends on it, and she gets to have relationships with guys without any "ew trans cooties" moments.

Any other recs for films in that vein, where gender identity is an aspect of character rather than a plot hook?

 

[Stella_Omega]

The World According to Garp has John Lithgow as Roberta -- She's simply a good person and friend of the family. She had been an NFL linebacker, but she is not played for laughs.

Ooh! Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Based on a true story, a major character is a trans woman-- and she is played by the actual woman she's based on

 

[Paintbox]

All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) by Pedro Almodóvar.