MA VIE EN ROSE (MY LIFE IN PINK) tells the story of Ludovic, a transgender youth who commits herself to living as a girl. Ludovic’s family has just relocated to a nice, new neighborhood and are concerned that their child’s identity-questioning tendencies will cause trouble with their efforts to settle in and be accepted by the new community. Matters come to a head when Ludovic develops a crush on a neighbor boy, dons his dead sister’s dress, and expresses a desire to marry him. This causes a wave of backlash that ultimately results in Ludovic attempting an unsuccessful suicide and threatening to run away from home.

Upon its release in 1997, Belgian director Alain Berliner’s film was unique in its attempt to explore the issue of gender identity by examining it from multiple perspectives. The film took home the Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film, and it continues to this day to move viewers with its emotionally rich portrayal of a modern family wrestling with the complexities, both internal and external, of gender.