It’s Just Me [Jared Moossy, USA, 2021]

“Now I’m black, a homosexual lifestyle, and I’m a transgender? That’s like three strikes, you out!” It’s Just Me is an extremely personal and intimate introspection of a black, transgender woman named Allie Cole. The short focuses on Cole’s experiences as a growing homosexual within a turbulent family that bullied her over her sexual orientation and behaviour, against the grain of the expected American heteronormativity, whilst also dealing with her struggles as she transitioned to a female.

Directed by Jared Moossy, this documentary brilliantly encapsulates Cole’s difficult lifestyle by splicing her dialogue with photos of her past life as a male homosexual, former drug user, and sex worker, along with snippets of her romances and attempts to reconnect with an unaccepting family. Cole and Moossy shine a light on society’s unwillingness to support those that are ‘unconventional’ and condescended, exposing American societies normalised mistreatment against non-conforming minorities that differ in gender and class.

While Cole comes to be fully accepting of her identity, we are privy to how this affects her personal life on both an emotional and practical level. We bear witness to her trepidation of confronting her old-fashioned father, causing her to resort to sex work, a profession that she found to be more accepting, despite her acknowledging its apparent dangers. This eventually leads Cole towards her mission to create a non-profit support system for those disregarded by society, welcoming trans- people, drug addicts, and those who are disenfranchised.

It’s Just Me highlights the throes and attrition of the transgender experience, and the difficult journey amongst a society that does not wish to accept them. Moossy excellently utilises Cole’s life and her experiences to depict this, whilst exploring her unique, yet relatable story.