Tina Kakadelis
I am a product of the teen comedies of the ’90s and early-2000s, and so is She’s the He, the trans comedy that made its world premiere at the2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival. Its premise is one that would fit right in with the teen films of that era because the idea of boys dressing up as girls to get in locker rooms was a weirdly popular trope at the time. In 2025, the rights of trans people are under attack, and one aspect of that is a variety of harmful legislative actions. One such wide-sweeping proposal will force transgender people to use the restrooms of the gender they were born with. For some insane reason, there’s a loud subset of people who believe men are pretending to be women to gain access to women’s restrooms. She’s the He is a hilarious skewering of this baseless, idiotic ideology.
Alex (Nico Carney) and Ethan (Misha Osherovich) have been best friends since birth. They’re seniors in high school, and so inseparable that everyone thinks they’re dating. This is a personal offense to Alex, who’s desperate to get laid, but he hasn’t even kissed a girl yet. Ethan’s not as concerned, but puts up with Alex’s antics because they’re best friends. One day, when Sasha (Malia Pyles), the object of his affections, ignores Alex, he decides he has to do something. He simply cannot go to college as a virgin. Ethan jokingly suggests they pretend to be girls, and Alex takes that idea and runs with it. The more they pretend though, the less like a joke it is to one of the friends.
Let’s just say it now, if She’s the He had been made in the ’90s or 2000s, it probably would have been horribly problematic. Just look at the plethora of gender-swapping titles that haven’t aged well—Ladybugs, It’s a Boy Girl Thing, and Sorority Boys. What sets She’s the He apart is not its modern sensibility, but its cast and crew, most of whom identify as trans, queer, or gender non-conforming. This film comes from a place of genuine heart, from voices deeply embedded in the community the film is about. That’s not to say that a filmmaker is incapable of making a film about an identity other than their own, but there is special care taken when elevating your own story or the lived experiences around you.
While She’s the He is a beacon of hope and light for trans kids everywhere, it’s also one of the funniest comedies of the festival. The spirit of the genre it’s emulating is present, but its comedy isn’t punching down at others. The butt of the film’s jokes is the outdated gender binary we exist in. She’s the He is not as raunchy as some of its predecessors, but it does have a climactic moment at the end of the film that will certainly make more than a few audience members squirm. It’s rip-roaringly funny, with the kind of smart-yet-dumb jokes that will cause laughter to erupt in the theater.
What’s most important about She’s the He is the heart beneath it all. It’s still rare for trans actors to play trans characters, but not in the case of this film. She’s the He is filled with cast members who are far too old to play high school. This is nothing new, but it adds something special to the film. For many who identify as queer or trans or any identity that wasn’t seen as normal, high school was brutal. In a way, She’s the He is an opportunity to live in that world again, to go back to school, but with a different outcome. It’s an unexpected healing offered by the film that comes along with the laughs.
Before the movie began, the moderator simply said “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore,” and that’s true. Those of us who grew up on the genre have been lamenting its loss, especially in queer and other underrepresented communities. She’s the He is a throwback to the best era of teen comedies, with a heart of gold and a mind in the gutter.
