Something You Should Know About Me is notable for a reason that extends beyond the film itself. I’m genuinely excited that in 2026 I can say this is not the first film I’ve reviewed this year featuring transgender leads. Following She’s the He, it’s actually the second such film I’ve had the opportunity to watch and review in less than a month. Considering how infrequently marginalized voices have historically been given space on screen, that’s pretty freaking cool.
The film follows Al, an aspiring artist who is thrilled to attend a creative camp where he can further develop his writing alongside his best friend Jessie. Al also happens to have feelings for Jessie, feelings he’s struggling to express. Both characters are transgender, and some of the film’s strongest moments emerge from that shared experience. One particularly poignant scene finds them reflecting on the fact that whenever they spend time together, their conversations inevitably drift back toward trans issues. It’s a recognition that they serve as a unique support system for one another. Their broader friend groups may be accepting, but there’s a difference between acceptance and lived understanding. I’ve seen similar dynamics in my own life. Some of the transgender people I know have large circles of friends, but there’s often a different kind of bond that develops with another transgender person who understands the experience firsthand. I know people who will meet up to pick up their testosterone prescriptions together despite having entirely separate social circles otherwise.
The film also introduces a love triangle that pushes Al to confront his feelings for Jessie, adding both humor and emotional tension to the story. There are clever moments, funny moments, and genuinely touching moments throughout.
Unfortunately, this is also where my experience with the film becomes more complicated. As a blind film critic, I depend heavily on accessibility tools to fully engage with a movie. Something You Should Know About Me did not include audio description, and that absence creates a significant barrier. While I can confidently discuss the themes, characters, and emotional arcs, it becomes much harder for me to evaluate the film’s artistic choices on a deeper level.
Director Alex Mallis blends live action and animation throughout the film, creating a hybrid visual style that appears central to its identity. The challenge is that this is precisely the kind of creative decision that is difficult for me to assess without audio description. There are gaps in my experience of the film that prevent me from fully understanding how those visual elements contribute to the final product.I generally don’t criticize independent films too harshly when it comes to accessibility. Most are operating on limited budgets and are focused simply on getting the film made. Many filmmakers aren’t even aware of the accessibility options available to them, and often they wait for a distributor to come on board before audio description is added. That bargain often leaves films with no audio description ever, or at least until it lands on the Amazon lottery and they force a text-to-speech track on the film.
Still, there is an interesting contradiction at the heart of this experience. Here is a film that rightfully celebrates inclusivity by centering marginalized voices, yet the lack of accessibility also makes it somewhat exclusionary. In that sense, it becomes an inclusive-exclusive film, which is an odd thing to say but an honest reflection of my experience.
The film celebrates a community whose existence continues to be treated as a political battleground. We live in a climate where transgender people often find themselves at the center of endless cultural debates, with conversations focused on bathrooms, sports, and medical decisions while far more pressing issues frequently receive less attention. If someone in your family suddenly became an expert on women’s swimming over the last few years, chances are it wasn’t because they had developed a newfound appreciation for the sport itself. I genuinely believe that if the Karens behind the anti-puberty blocker movement spent half that energy on eliminating mass shootings in schools, all our kids would have a genuinely safer environment.Instead they’d much rather lock and load.
That’s part of what makes films like Something You Should Know About Me valuable. They shift the conversation away from abstract political arguments and back toward actual people. Al and Jessie aren’t symbols. They’re artists, friends, and young people trying to navigate relationships, identity, and the uncertainty that comes with growing up.
I admire what this film is trying to do, and I appreciate the opportunity to experience stories that don’t often receive this kind of platform. At the same time, I can’t ignore the reality that the lack of audio description limits my ability to fully engage with some of its most ambitious creative choices. As a result, my final score lands somewhere in the middle. I suspect that if audio description were available, it would almost certainly be higher. My experience with revisiting films after audio description has been added has shown me time and again that greater access often leads to greater appreciation.
For now, Something You Should Know About Me remains a film I respect more than I can fully evaluate, and that distinction matters.
Fresh
