Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

GazerRise Fantastic!

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

miss_lady_ice-853-608700 Paul Prentice (Rupert Graves) is a blokey guy. Kim (Steven Mackintosh) is a conservative woman. If that wasn't enough to complicate a romance, Kim used to be Karl, Prentice's schoolfriend.The premise could have been used to make a serious drama but refreshingly it becomes a light-hearted quirky rom-com, which isn't afraid to deal with the complications of being transsexual. A previous reviewer quoted the dialogue about Prentice and Kim both being straight. The way the film deals with the subject shows that this is a normal relationship and whatever Kim was in the past does not matter. The uncertainty of both characters is touching and both actors pull off challenging roles.Although when Kim strips naked, Mackintosh looks too masculine to be entirely believable, it shows that you don't need to have a perfect body. It's all about the love.Yes, perhaps this could have made a good drama- the police corruption adds that dramatic element- but the endearing clumsiness of the rom-com coupled with a 'taboo' topic really makes you think about what gender really means. It's a short film too, so worth a watch.

sarahfirman Okay, just so I don't get anyone's back up here (there seems to be a staunch group of defenders surrounding this film), let me first say that I quite liked Different for Girls. I'm not generally a fan of rom-coms, and I found this to be interesting, and raises some valid points in an articulate manner. However, that said, this film does take a while to find its feet. The first half-hour (the friends' re-meeting and so forth) is far too rushed. I don't often say this about films but this could really have done with another half hour of run-time. That would have seriously helped to establish the characters and ground their relationship. After the arrest, the film's pace slows down, and the characterisation improves, having space to breathe. The institutional discrimination is handled really well, and makes the opening scenes (which, as I have already stated, seemed rushed to me) seem like they are going to avoid the serious issues and implications in favour of being overly PC. By the end of the film, I was on-board and impressed. I can see why people are turned off by the opening, and potentially do not give the film a chance once it has faltered. If you can bear with it for 30 minutes, you'll get much more out of the experience.

Dana W I am a male to female transsexual, and all I can say is this is the first and ONLY film I have seen handle this subject matter with taste and tact.It sat on my shelf for two years before I watched it. I have seen this theme abused and twisted too many times, and I had assumed the worst. I'm very happy to say I got a very pleasant surprise.Steven Makintosh did a wonderful job of playing Kim, and the fact that Kim's body is not "perfect" is a touch of reality seldom shown when movies or television fictionalize transition.It was an honest approach, as opposed to the the usual "and far less realistic" sexy female actress that a Hollywood would have insisted on using.Kim does not live as a "transgendered person" as is implied in some reviews but as a normal white collar woman in London, her old school friend comes into her structured and very low profile life and turns it upside down from emotional outbursts in restaurants, to a confrontation with the police.His growing acceptance of Kim as a woman, and their growing relationship are wonderful to behold.I don't want to give anything away, but from yet another person who's "been there" the film went between having me on the edge of my seat to having me in tears.I cannot rate this film too highly."For people who NEED a nitpick, I think seeing Pauls girl friends reaction to goings on would have been good, she sort of just drops out of the plot and you never really know why"

indigopussycat2 I began to watch this film thinking that it would be about the usual prejudice and queer bashing.......What I realized is that it was a very touching drama about a post-op male to female transsexual and a former male schoolfriend. I thoroughly enjoyed this and have watched it 8 times in 3 days. It is so touching and tender and at the end, concentrates on the nice side of life. It makes me feel so humble.It has given me a lot to think about how I was maybe a little more judgemental than I thought I was.Brilliant acting.I have fallen for Rupert Graves, who plays the male schoolfriend,- I have visited his website and am going home to find the film, 'Damage', which I already have - and I have ordered 'Room With A View'.Rupert and Steven are such a brilliant actors. I can't believe that Steven Mackintosh, who played the very gentle and very ladylike, Kim, could be the same horrible guy who is 'The Street', thug and bullyboy from Prime Suspect 5.Both excellent main actors, as well as a well known supporting cast, which included Charlotte Coleman, (who has sadly since died, aged 33, from an asthma attack), Saskia Reeves, Miriam Margolyes and Neil Dudgeon.I have looked for the DVD on region 2 in this country, but I can only find it NTSC, Region 1.Can anyone help ?Enjoy,Best Wishes,Indigopussycat2. xx