Don't go messing with the Iron Ladies

A lot of men say that femininity is a dying art. Women are no longer interested in polishing that side of themselves and, consequently, men are feeling distressed. If it's any consolation, I would like to point out that some people out there are keeping the flame burning and burning brightly. I'm talking about the transsexuals who seem privy to all the secrets of womanhood that, had I known even a smidgen of 10 years ago, could have transported me from movie-review hackdom to a Much More Glamorous Place. Still, it may not be too late for re-education so I made tracks to Shibuya to see a movie called "Satree-Lex" ("Iron Ladies" in English, released in Japan as "Attack Number Half").

"Satree-Lex" is big and warmhearted and assures us it is "for all genders," which must include tired hacks in dirty sweat shirts on a Monday morning -- how wonderful. Directed by Thailand's Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, "Satree-Lex" is based on a true story about a gay volleyball team -- with a lesbian coach -- that swept the Thai national tournaments in 1996. Understandably, the team caused a sensation. That year on the streets of Bangkok, teenage girls went around dressed like the Iron Ladies and volleyball became the "in" sport (played with manicured nails, of course).

The brilliance of "Satree-Lex" is in the cast. Thongkongtoon made TV commercials before this feature, his debut, and most of the cast members are people he worked with in the industry. He avoided real gay actors, reasoning that having straights pose as gays would be more interesting. The actors were trained to look, talk and act like the Thai katooi (transgenders) who refuse to start the day without a fully made-up visage. The one genuine article is the astonishing transvestite Gogkorn Benjathikul who "implanted silicone in every part of her body" and should easily fall under the definition of the word "feminine."