Trans, in its original dictionary meaning, is a prefix derived from Latin meaning ‘across’ or ‘beyond’. I wanted to make that specific when writing about this twenty nine minute Netflix short on Georgie Stone. I wanted to remind people of the beauty of words and how human interpretation shaping social relationships renders the meaning, intent and resolve behind them obsolete. Trans is a word that is a casualty of boastful human intervention. 

But to this writer, it’s a prefix that builds worlds. Think about how the origin of an individual, text or a work of art finds deep resonances when ‘translated’, ‘transliterated’ or ‘transformed’ to reach millions. 

That’s the power of a word. In the hands of teen activist Georgie Stone, ‘trans’ is reclaimed in the context of hope, change and equality going ‘across’ constraints of the law, to reach ‘beyond’ this generation. 

Director Maya Newell uses home videos, snippets of interviews and an optimistic tenor to thread together a meaningful collage of an extraordinary life that just aspires to achieve basic human dignity as an individual. In effect, the fight is for Georgie Stone and other trans kids who are looked at as ‘others’ and regrettably so. 

The documentary style always turns out to be a beacon for representation. Newell distills the innate humanity of a family and a teenager through the years to create a contemporary archive for our socially conscious times. Compassion and inclusivity are the calling cards here. 

Just looking at the innocence of a young person and their genuine sense of hope for a better life, for a whole posterity, will make one wonder how countless others can possibly be cruel to them. The clarity espoused in The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone brings in positive glimmers.  The archival footage of this prodigious voice is why treasuring childhood is paramount, why adults need to disseminate love and care to the brim. 

The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone is available to stream now on Netflix

by Prithvijeet Sinha

Prithvijeet Sinha is from Lucknow, India. A regular contributor to Screen Queens, he lives for the beauty of poetry in moving images and translates them into stirring writings in verse and prose. He is also a dedicated cinephile.