‘Every Body’ Review – A Powerful And Vital Film More Necessary Than Ever

Directed By: Julie Cohen

Featuring: River Gallo, Alicia Roth Weigel, and Sean Saifa Wall

Plot Summary: Every Body is a revelatory investigation of the lives of intersex people. The film tells the stories of three individuals who have moved from childhoods marked by shame, secrecy, and non-consensual surgeries to thriving adulthoods after each decided to set aside medical advice to keep their bodies a secret and instead came out as their authentic selves. Actor and screenwriter River Gallo (they/them), political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel (she/they), and Ph.D. student Sean Saifa Wall (he/him) are now leaders in a fast-growing global movement advocating for greater understanding of the intersex community and an end to unnecessary surgeries. Woven into the story is a stranger-than-fiction case of medical abuse, featuring exclusive footage from the NBC News archives, which helps explain the modern-day treatment of intersex people.

June is a time when we should celebrate, yes. However, beyond the parades, parties and just generally letting everyone know that we aren’t going anywhere, lies something deeper. It’s a time that we reflect on our community’s history, and we should take a hard look at where we are headed into the future. For allies, it can be a time to hold your Queer friends up and stand by them. Sadly, even within Queer spaces, intersex people oftentimes get left out of the conversation.

Every Body takes an intimate and harrowing look at a group of intersex people. This feature complements another recently released documentary, The Stroll, about trans sex workers. Both movies are without a doubt moving, but they are also very important stories that need to be told. We get to hear their stories which, while tragic and making you angry that they had to go through all this, we see a beaming light at the end of the tunnel.

Every Body opens with a smash-cut of these cringe gender-reveal parties, which are so over-the-top that it feels like satire. This opening, while amusing that people do this, sets up an important theme throughout the film: parents who either don’t understand or, worse yet, deny the complexity of the gender spectrum. Additionally, the film spotlights how doctors also have a long way to go in terms of caring for intersex people, while also giving guidance to parents.

We applaud the interview subjects for being so raw and candid about their personal experiences, which cannot have been easy. The documentary does a great job of laying out the history of the medical field and intersex people, and, sadly, how one poorly conducted study lead to horrific “treatments” of intersex people. As hard as it can be to see this kind of mistreatment, it is vital that we do not hide from the naked truth that, because we live in a very puritanical binary-based society, terrible and destructive things are carried out.

While the movie is very serious and at times tragic, the tone is balanced with some appropriate sass and joy. In fact, the movie ends on a hopeful note that leaves you with tears of joy. The credit scene is something not to be spoiled, but it is simply incredible. Every Body will leave you shaken, and you are not alone if you need to take time to collect yourself. Yet, Julie Cohen’s film should have that effect. The depressing fact is that the laws still haven’t completely caught up, and horrific forced gender-assignment surgeries are being performed even at the time of writing this.

Every Body should prompt reflections but also start a serious conversation. I was angry and sad, but ultimately hopeful and happy that I watched with an open heart to other people’s stories. We live in a time where there are many laws that are targeted at the LGBTQIA community, and as the film points out, though we have come a long way, we still have to fight. This movie serves a dual purpose of not only as a window into some very brave people but also as a call to action. Every Body is powerful and needs to be seen by everybody.

Every Body is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Focus Features. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoNvk5N-MKo

Below is a small selection of helpful resources and organizations that support the intersex community and are propelling the movement forward. Please note this list is not comprehensive. We encourage following these organizations – as well as the individuals who are at the forefront of the movement – for more information.

InterACT / @interact_adv
interConnect (formerly AIS-DSD SG) / @interconnect_support
The Intersex Justice Project / @intersexjusticeproject
The Interface Project / @interfaceproj
Intersex Campaign for Equality / @intersex_nepal
The Houston Intersex Society / @the_houston_intersex_society
The American Association for Klinefelter Syndrome Information and Support
Beautiful You MRKH Foundation / @beautifulyoumrkh
Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity / @CCGSD_CCDGS
Club Intersex / @clubintersex
Egale Canada / @egalecanada
FedUp Fighting Eating Disorders / @fedupcollective
Gender Spectrum / @gender_spectrum
Genetic.org (47XXY/Klinefelters) / @axysofficial
Los Angeles LGBT Center / @lalgbtcenter
MRKH.org
Turner Syndrome Society of the US / @turnersyndromesocietyus