As narratives go, this one is pretty slight, but the couple in question is sweet and fun to spend an hour with, and when Amanda’s mother says on-camera that she’s concerned that some of her more conservative relatives might think the eccentric ceremony is “a normal gay wedding,” the mind reels a bit.
Originally from a poor family in Ecuador, Angel travels to France to earn money to send back home. Though he was once a large-muscled, highly masculine boxer, Angel now lives as a woman, earning the nickname “Mujeron” (“big woman”). She works as a prostitute in Europe, sending money back when she can, and after several years overseas she returns home briefly to see just where the money has gone. The documentary raises important questions, showing the vital and often little-known role homosexuals and transgender individuals have in some Ecuadorian families.
One of Angel’s brothers points out that queer family members tend to be more financially supportive than their straight counterparts, a comment that hints at changing perspectives in a country that decriminalized homosexuality a mere 15 years ago. Manages to squeeze a lot of information into a short span of time, and the boxer-turned-prostitute-turned-family-matriarch story is so compelling it shouldn’t be missed.