HERMAFRODITA. ΜΙΑ ΤΑΙΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟ ΔΟΜΙΝΙΚΟ

Hermafrodita (Dominican Republic, 2009)
Directed by Albert Xavier

The Dominican Republic is known for its delicious food, merengue dancing, and the jovial carefree attitude of its warm and friendly people. It is not however, known for its work of queer cinema, which is just one of the reasons why Albert Xavier’s feature film, Hermafrodita, marks itself as a brave and important new work.
La Melaza witnesses his younger brother killed by a local gang leader. In a fury of anger he extols revenge by sneaking into his house to kill his brother’s murderer. Realizing that he in lo longer safe in Santo Domingo with the fellow gang members sure to look for him, he takes off to the remote village of San Jose de Ocoa to live and work with his aunt and uncle. While in the small town he meets Maria, a shy seamstress to whom he immediately is drawn. Despite her initial refusal, the two start a romantic courtship- but Maria is hiding a secret; she was born a hermaphrodite, having both male and female genitalia.
When her best friend Wanda provokes tension between the two lovers, the drama heightens to new levels and Maria’s secret is about to be revealed. Featuring strong performances from Garibaldi Reyes as La Melaza and Mariluz Acosta as Maria, Hermafrodita is a unique story based on true events that will entertain and intrigue.
-Kareem Tabsch