I watched this last night, and found the entire film/documentary to be very fascinating, fun, enjoyable, exciting, Revealing, and Inspiring!

I was not sure what to expect, because I am accustomed to seeing professional shows at local clubs. However the film truly represents a diverse range of Transgendered women vying for recognition of their beauty. Aside from the contest and the documentary style interviews with contenders for the crown, honest discussions about lifestyle choices, gender identity, and family relationships are explored. For anyone who lives a bit outside the "norm" of societal standards, or for those who consider their lifestyle to be "Alternative" in some fashion this DVD is a great resource for confirmation, inspiration, and background information about *why* people choose to live outside the bounds of strictly dictated rules and regs about who we are supposed to be.

Personally, I identified with many of the individual women interviewed in the film, and I found myself smiling throughout much of the film. Some stories also contain obstacles and societal situations which are quite serious, but overall the film is fun, uplifting, and exciting.

One transgendered woman was genuinely upset that others were acting overly naughty, exposing themselves without cause, and generally acting trampy. Her sincerity flows from the screen. A few acted like drag queens, but many were quite serious and sincere. Most of the women are beautiful. Watching the film, and viewing the actual event (beauty contest) was a fun experience plus the backstage scenarios were entertaining and informative.

I was totally invested in the interviews (not boring documentary style, but well produced and captivating), until the end when one obese tranny that I had previously respected began to claim "racism" as the factor in her defeat. Obviously, obesity was the key factor in her defeat, so the racism issue was invalid. I felt that she discredited her previous sincerity when she blamed her loss on racial issues, rather than accepting the fact that she she is very overweight. Despite a few catty remarks at the end, the film is sincere, and well worth watching. One contender who I assumed would take a top three position only made it into the final round, so there are some surprises in the contest results.

I assume that others (from other Alternative lifestyles) would find this film inspirational, because the contestants are living out their dreams instead of playing out the societal and familial demands which most people are not capable of breaking away from. Yet I also assume that anyone interested in sociology, psychology, or subcultures would also enjoy this film. I cannot think of Trantasia as a "documentary," because it is not boring and the style and film quality are fantastic. In fact, the stage show is glamorous, and the bodies are beautiful.

If this doesn't grab you, I'll also mention that there are many revealed and mostly revealed breasts, lots of skin, and sexy outfits. Many of the women are all about beauty, and their bodies reveal their dedication to being women. A few of the women are obese, but they take the time to explain to those who are hefty how they can modify their body shapes with corsets, clothing, etc., in order to be more feminine. Therefore this film has something for nearly everyone; whether gay, straight, bi-, male, female, transsexual, fat or thin...this film truly speaks to nearly everyone.

I believe that this is a perfect film/documentary for people from all walks of life (Alternative or "vanilla") to understand and appreciate those who live outside the bounds of supposed "normality" and ASSIGNED gender roles.

Inspired by this film, I will soon be reviewing the following books and DVDs, as well, plus other purchases I have made; Miss Continental Pageant, El Calentito, Transamerica (Widescreen Edition), True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism--For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals, The Transgender Companion (Male to Female): The Complete Guide to Becoming the Woman you Want to Be, and The Praeger Handbook of Transsexuality: Changing Gender to Match Mindset (Sex, Love, and Psychology).

This video was Amazing! Erica andrews , Mimmi marks , Dorae Saunders , Tierra Rusell ,, what else can u ask for! best transsexuals in the buisness

I was fortunate to see "Trantasia" in a packed theatre as part of Los Angeles' long running OUTFEST. When the lights came up at the end of the screening I remember saying: "This is 'Paris Is Burning' for a new generation!" Besides the obvious connection between the two documentaries, I believe they both successfully accomplish a similar goal: to educate the viewer about a particular sub-culture with humor, humanity, and intelligence. Besides laughing along with the participants thru the process of a Beauty Pageant, there are some remarkable backstory segments as some of the girls travel back home to visit with their families...but the moment when one of the beauty queen contestants said some homophobic comments took my breath away in it's utter rawness (and contradiction to the open-mindedness of a Transgendered Beauty Pageant!) Our audience was abuzz for almost a minute after his/her remark.

This film is outstanding and highly recommended! And for those of you out there (and you know who you are) who love to quote awesome lines of movie dialogue...get ready to fill your mind with more quotables than "Mommie Dearest!'

Trantasia, what a great film/Documentary. Really opened my eyes to a different world. Family love with no apologies. A heartwarming film. Funny and sad. I recommend highly.

Yes, it's inspiring. But Trantasia is surprising, cheeky and very, very funny.

Watch the girls hit the strip in Vegas and reduce grown men to excitement, bewilderment and just plain confusion.

It's a window into a very provocative and fascinating world. If you ever wondered why.....this movie has all the answers.