Framing Agnes is a 2021 documentary film that explores the life of Agnes, a transgender woman who participated in Harold Garfinkel's gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s. The film blends fiction and nonfiction elements to tell Agnes' story and highlight the narrow perspective through which trans history has often been viewed.
Through a collaborative practice of reimagination, the film features a cast of trans stars who take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments of groundbreaking artifacts of trans healthcare. The cast includes Zackary Drucker, Angelica Ross, Jen Richards, Max Wolf Valerio, Silas Howard, and Stephen Ira, all of whom bring their own experiences and perspectives to the film.
Director Chase Joynt uses Agnes as a starting point to explore the broader history of trans healthcare and the ways in which it has been shaped by medical institutions and society at large. The film also delves into issues of representation and identity, questioning the ways in which Agnes has been positioned as a figurehead of trans history and the limitations of that role.
Overall, Framing Agnes is a thought-provoking and visually stunning exploration of trans history and representation. It offers a powerful critique of the ways in which trans experiences have been marginalized and a call to broaden our understanding of what trans history and identity can encompass.
