''Different for Girls'' is a 1996 British/French

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film in which one of the protagonists is a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

woman. The film is directed by Richard Spence and written by Tony Marchant, starring

Steven Mackintosh Steven Mackintosh (born 30 April 1967) is an English actor and narrator. He is perhaps best known for his role as Andreas Tanis in the action horror films '' Underworld: Evolution'' (2006) and '' Underworld: Rise of the Lycans'' (2009). Mack ...

and

Rupert Graves Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in ''A Room with a View'', '' Maurice'', '' The Madness of King George'' and '' The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he star ...

Plot

Paul Prentice (

) and Karl Foyle (

) were close friends during their secondary school days. Paul used to defend Karl from the violent attacks of their classmates, who ridiculed Karl for being effeminate. Some years later they are reunited literally by accident, when Paul, on the motorcycle he rides as a

courier A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

, runs into the cab that Karl (who has undergone

gender confirmation surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

and is named Kim) is riding in. Paul is initially surprised to discover that Karl has become Kim, but asks her out to get re-acquainted. Their first date goes badly and Kim assumes that it's because Paul is nervous about being seen in public with her. Paul brings her flowers at her workplace (as a verse writer for a

greeting card A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays ...

company) and they go out again. This date works out better and they end up back at Paul's place listening to music. The two continue to spend time together, with Paul teaching Kim how to ride a motorcycle. Their next dinner date, at Kim's place, is disastrous. Paul, struggling to understand transgender issues, drinks too much and ends up in the courtyard outside Kim's apartment, exposing his penis and ranting. The police arrive and arrest him for

indecent exposure Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...

. Kim places a hand on one of the officers and he arrests her for obstruction. In the police van, one of the officers makes crude remarks about Kim and places his hand under her skirt. Paul intervenes and is beaten by the officer. At the police station, Paul is charged with assaulting the officer. Kim, his only witness, is terrified of being in trouble and intimidated by the police into keeping silent. She flees to her sister's home. At Paul's trial on the assault charges, Kim is able to gather her courage and testify for Paul. While he is still convicted, he receives only a token fine. A reporter at the courthouse tries to buy Kim and Paul's story but they refuse. They return to Kim's place, where Paul is surprised and delighted to discover that he and Kim are sexually as well as emotionally compatible; they make love. Paul, desperate for money following the repossession of his motorcycle, sells Kim's and his story to a London tabloid. With the story splashed all over the papers, Kim thinks she's going to be sacked from the greeting card company. Instead, her boss stands behind her. As the film draws to a close, it's revealed that Kim and Paul are living together and that it was Kim's idea for Paul to sell the story.

Cast

as Kim/Karl Foyle *

as Paul Prentice *

Miriam Margolyes Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The ...

as Pamela * Saskia Reeves as Jean *

Charlotte Coleman Charlotte Ninon Coleman (3 April 1968 – 14 November 2001) was an English actress best known for playing Scarlett in the film ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'', Jess in the television drama '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', and her childhood ...

as Alison * Nisha Nayar as Angela * Neil Dudgeon as Neil Payne *

Adrian Rawlins Adrian John Rawlins (born 27 March 1958) is an English actor best known for playing Arthur Kidd in ''The Woman in Black'' and James Potter in the ''Harry Potter'' films. In 2019, he starred in ''Chernobyl'' as Nikolai Fomin. Early life Rawlin ...

as Mike Rendell

Awards and acclaim

* Grand Prix of the Americas Award at the 1996 Montreal World Film Festival * Critical praise at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

External links

* * * {{Grand Prix des Amériques 1996 films 1996 comedy films 1996 LGBT-related films British comedy films 1990s English-language films English-language French films British LGBT-related films French LGBT-related films Films about trans women Films scored by Stephen Warbeck 1997 comedy films 1997 films 1990s British films 1990s French films

Plot

Cast

Awards and acclaim

See also

External links