DOC NYC film review: 'No Ordinary Man'
The empathetic and confident documentary 'No Ordinary Man' (screening at DOC NYC 2020) examines the life and significance of a musician living as a transgender pioneer hiding in plain sight.
In short: The film is a portrait of Billy Tipton, a jazz musician who was revealed after his death to have been transgender.
The hook of 'Ordinary Man' is the tantalizing, surprising story of a musician who lived for more than a half century as a man before the "truth" of his biological gender was discovered only after his death. For anyone living outside the transgender community, it's easy to get stuck on the extraordinary detail of Tipton's secret. The bravest choice 'Ordinary Man' makes is decisively brushing aside the lurid curiosity that some people might have - specifically "how did he pull it off?" Not only that - it makes the case that the fixation on that question is itself fundamentally disrespectful and reductive.
This documentary elegantly and forthrightly inverts Tipton's story - focusing more on how he lived rather than the public's pre-occupation with the revelations of his death. The documentary is wholly devoted in exploring gender identity as part of the human experience. It rejects the notion that Tipton cannot be solely defined as a transgender man - instead, it warmly embraces Tipton as a father, husband and music artist first - while also noting the undeniable significance of Tipton as a pioneer in the transgender community.
The unexpected framework running throughout 'Ordinary Man' is a series of what appears to be auditions for the role of Billy Tipton. Various actors of various backgrounds read hypothetical scripted, key moments in Tipton's life. At first, it's a bit confusing because it's unclear what these auditions are for or why they're in the film. But these moments allow the various actors to talk through the scenes, allowing them to explore what these specific moments mean to transgender people - and what thoughts might that person have in that moment. It's impossible to ever know what Billy Tipton felt in those moments, but giving non-cisgender actors a chance to step into his shoes and offers a truly eye-opening insight into what Tipton might have considered and felt.
Final verdict: 'No Ordinary Man' is a thoughtful examination of what it means to live as a transgender man that forces the audience to examine the humanity of Tipton's story.
Score: 4/5
'No Ordinary Man' screens during DOC NYC 2020. This documentary not yet rated and has a running time of 80 minutes.
