Over the years I have seen a few dozen transgender-related documentaries. I would say I have seen so many of them that I can easily recognize patterns present in most of them. Uncertainty about one's identity, struggle to keep said identity a secret, depression, family problems, transphobia. These elements appear in virtually all trans documentaries, as these things are all a part of the sad reality we live in. The problem is that more often than not this makes the documentaries less interesting, as sometimes I feel like watching the same story with different characters. And although I know that these stories are the very lives of the people concerned, many of the movies seem very similar to each other.From This Day Forward is an exception to this rule. Yes, the story is pretty much the same as in a dozen similar pictures, but the way of telling this story is quite unusual. Because it is told by a daughter of a transgender parent, its focus is not only the person who would typically be the center of attention, but rather the whole family. It is a beautiful exploration of the meaning of true love, marriage, parent-child relationship and the price of being true to oneself. It is a warm, uplifting picture of a family which manages to overcome all of their - sometimes quite unusual - problems and stay together because of the love they have for one another.

Beautiful film that profiles filmmaker's transgender father, Trish. What struck me most about this film is that the family copes very well -- sure there were rough and conflicting times when the filmmaker and her sister were growing up, but overall a very strong and warm family who live life pretty much to the fullest. Trish states that she will probably always have unhappiness about how she can fully express and live as a woman. Regardless Trish doesn't seem to have many pity-parties -- Trish has a myriad of hobbies and passions. Trish loves her strong and kind wife and can't imagine life without her. This film has much to teach about the transgender experience, family, and life in general. Side note -- I loved the scenery of northern Michigan and outdoors.

Many reviews paint this film as a glowing example of love and family conquering all, even the, as it is repeatedly explained, inconvenience, embarrassment, and awkwardness of a transgender parent. While Trisha is clearly very loved by her family, I was left with more sadness than celebration. It is a story of everyone loosing something to maintain the family they want, which for Trisha means staying partially in the closet. Happiness denied in some parts of her life allows happiness in others, and it leaves you questioning whether you would accept the denial of an integral part of yourself to keep the people you love. As one review from the Village Voice (that should be longer) observes, "the film is ostensibly about how the Shattucks have stayed together, but what's most interesting and moving is how Trisha manages to accept the casual bigotry of her family and to love them anyway."

This is indeed an unconventional love story, so warm, funny and moving that the audience at the Saturday morning showing at the Traverse City Film Festival in August gave it a standing ovation. It reflects how rewarding the efforts that go into marriage, traditional or untraditional, and into understanding the differences among us can be. This is a documentary that presents a clear picture of what learning to understand those differences entails. As we left the theater, a gentleman I had never met before smiled at me and said, "I want to live in that world." Me too. Kudos to the film makers and the Shattuck family.