Review: Should You Watch ‘Transmitzvah’ on Netflix, a Spanish-Language Drama Centered on Trans Identity?

Daniel Burman and Ariel Gurevich wrote the film, and Burman directed it. The movie, which explores trans identity within the context of religion, is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Summary: Ruben, formerly a young boy who rejected his bar mitzvah, now lives as a female performer named Mumy. Mumy has achieved international fame as a singer. When her father falls ill and passes away, she decides to have a bat mitzvah to honor her true self. However, due to her trans identity, traditional rabbis and synagogues are hesitant to host the ceremony. Her older brother embarks on a journey to find a place that will embrace Mumy, leading them to Spain where their ancestors once resided, allowing Mumy to be celebrated for who she truly is.

Similarities: While the storyline of Transmitzvah differs from that of The Skeleton Twins, the movies share a common theme of portraying the intricate and affectionate bond between siblings.

Performance Worth Watching: Penelope Guerrero’s central performance as Mumy is filled with confidence, and equal measures of love and hurt that make the entire thing believable.

Memorable Dialogue: “I don’t need to be tolerated,” Mumy says to a transphobic rabbi at the synagogue. “I’m neither gluten nor lactose.”

Sex and Skin: None here.

Our Take: Many queer narratives follow a familiar formula. There are coming out stories, plots about unsupportive parents and families, and ones that touch on leaning on your found family. It’s refreshing that Transmitzvah doesn’t really tread in these waters—at least, not entirely.

When the Argentinian film begins, it seems destined to go down this road. Ruben, who will later become Mumy, can’t hide his predispositions towards wearing dresses and lipstick. His father is deeply disturbed by this, and the distance between them grows even further when Ruben rejects his bar mitzvah, wanting to have a bat mitzvah instead. But once the film flashes forward to Mumy’s adult life, the film begins to take a different shape: one of sibling bonding, of trying to reconnect with religious roots that seemed to reject the very idea of Mumy’s existence.

The performances in Transmitzvah, from Penelope Guerrero’s central Mumy to Juan Minujin’s role as her down-on-his-luck bother Eduardo, carry the film’s open heart on their sleeves. As Mumy returns home for the first time in years, there is an immediate warmth between them—it’s clear that Eduardo was one of the few links she still had to her home and youth. In true sibling fashion, they support each other but also feel comfortable enough to call each other out when someone is acting out of line.

Midway through the film there is a scene in which Eduardo finally calls Mumy out for her selfish behavior, which had, to that point, been my biggest gripe with the film. Mumy waltzes into town, grieves her father, and decides she wants a bat mitzvah, but then expects her brother to take care of all of the details. She’s rude to him, and rejects every idea he has, even as he goes to great lengths to find inclusive rabbis that would happily perform her bat mitzvah. In a cathartic scene, he finally says what’s on his mind. Even though she doesn’t immediately admit that she’s been a nightmare to everyone in her life recently, it’s a talk that only siblings can have, and it’s captured beautifully across the script, performances, and direction.

Ultimately, Transmitzvah is a deeply emotional and heartfelt look at the entanglement between queer identities and religion. What does it mean to not fit within the binaries that we’ve been taught? What do you do when your religion rejects you? How do you find a space for yourself in an ever-changing and increasingly violent world? For Mumy, the answers are all the way at the beginning.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The central performances are not to be missed and the story is a feel-good narrative.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, ELLE.com, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.