Dr. Maurizio Bini’s compassionate demeanor shines through as he navigates tired policies and societal restrictions to provide essential care at his fertilization and gender-affirming care facility in Milan. Director Gianluca Matarrese keeps his presence minimal in the documentary “GEN_”, allowing the fly-on-the-wall approach to make viewers feel like they’re right there with the patients.
The film is a warm, reassuring look at what one dedicated professional can achieve, focusing on personal stories rather than broader politics. Much of the documentary is composed of sit-down consultations across Bini’s desk, revealing his bedside manner as familiar yet to-the-point. These consultations are mostly shot in profile, which might seem counter-intuitive for a film hoping to endear us to its subjects.
However, this clinical, factual approach allows Bini to slowly but surely cross the divide through his numerous conversations as he rattles off facts, figures, and options to trans- and cisgender patients alike. Some visit him for reasons of gender transition, both surgical and hormonal, while others are trying to get pregnant after various difficulties. The film, by way of Bini’s expertise, sheds light on the numerous methods and complications that surround both these facets of human experience and, in the process, illuminates their political dimensions.
With laws and political discourse constantly in flux, Bini’s job, and his ability to properly care for his patients, feels in danger, sending him on the hunt for a protégé in what appears to be a dwindling field. “GEN_” uses the looming political threats to Bini’s work as a backdrop rather than a centerpiece, allowing its arguments to become self-evident.
Compassionate care amid political challenges
By alternating between cases that are transgender-specific and those that aren’t, but treating them with the same deft hand, “GEN_” essentially affirms that trans healthcare is like any other healthcare and ought to be treated as such. The film unfurls in idiosyncratic ways, scoring interludes between consultations with upbeat, mischievous, and utterly compelling music by composers Cantautoma. Its ability to craft a casual atmosphere in which this is possible is perhaps its greatest strength.
“GEN_” is a film that treats its subjects with care and humor, and in doing so, invites its audience to see them through the same compassionate lens. It seeks to demystify gender care through Dr. Bini’s consultations and humanize the subjects by simply letting viewers see the day-to-day operations of a clinic with progressive ideals.
Within Bini’s office, patients don’t experience judgment or scrutiny. Dr. Bini is a fount of honest intentions, even when he’s indulging a little dishonesty, like deliberately ignoring Italian law surrounding age limits on certain medications to help his patients. Though Italy’s laws around gender-affirming care are more or less fair compared to other western countries, public anti-trans rhetoric is at a fever pitch.
In the face of this virulent hate, as shown through Dr. Bini, it may be that all we can do is show up for our neighbors and offer the care they need. “GEN_” is a touching portrayal of how kindness can be a form of resistance and a necessary aspect of medical care, especially for those on the margins of society.