‘Every Body’ Review: Documentary About the Heartbreaking Secrecy Around Intersex Identities Should Be Mandatory Viewing

“Every Body” is a beautiful and cathartic celebration of intersexuality — and should be mandatory viewing for people of all genders.

Directed by Julie Cohen (co-director of the Oscar-nominated “RBG”), the documentary opens with a montage of increasingly ridiculous gender reveals (remember the series of deaths from them a few years ago? Well, it turns out that blowing up cars, shooting rockets, and slinging archery arrows might not always go as planned). The gender reveals set up the crux of the film, which showcases the irrelevance and — frankly — the stupidity of trying to define people based on their bodies.

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“Every Body” follows three intersex adults — actor and screenwriter River Gallo (they/them), political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel (she/they), and Ph.D. student Sean Saifa Wall (he/him) — who are leading figures in intersex awareness advocacy. Being intersex is defined as “any variation within a person’s sex traits with which they’re either born with or develop naturally during puberty,” according to documentary specialist Katharine Dalke, M.D. who works at the Sexual & Gender Minority Research Group of National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In an era in which bodily autonomy is being threatened and intersex people are facing cultural erasure by conservatives talking heads, “Every Body” is a monumental statement that traces the history of intersex awareness in America. Dalke describes being intersex as “that middle space exists between male and female,” saying, “It is possible to be a ‘biological female’ and have testes. It is possible to be a ‘biological male’ and have a uterus.”

But it’s plenty more complicated to live in the gray space of a society that largely only recognizes two genders. “Every Body” lead Alicia admits that it’s tougher to date after coming out as intersex, quipping that potential partners will “find out on their own” eventually anyways. Sean similarly opens up about being told he had either a “large clitoris or small phallus” growing up; he later underwent surgery.

Sean, Alicia, and River’s respective upbringings and relationships with their parents are also showcased in the documentary, with a backdrop of the “freak show” carnival legacy and a pressure to “be fixed” lurking underneath the trio’s modern determination to dismantle assumptions about chromosome differences.

The film also focuses on sex researcher John Money, who infamously urged the parents of David Reimer to pursue infant gender reassessment surgery. David’s penis was horrifically cut off during a botched circumcision; at the time, Money recommended David’s testicles also be removed and for David to be raised as “Brenda” alongside his identical twin brother Brian. Money continued to treat David, who later alleged Money sexually abused him. David found out about the gender surgery at age 14 and lived out the remainder of his life as David before committing suicide in 2004 at age 38.

In “Every Body,” filmmaker River watches clips of David’s mother speaking on “Dateline,” and Money lecturing about the so-called merits of the surgery. “Every Body” director Cohen is a former “Dateline” producer and was inspired to pursue “Every Body” after seeing the Reimer episode in the archives.

“Every Body” finds its strength in staying in the present, however, with Alicia, Sean, and River forging their own path as activists and testifying across the U.S. River, who is among IndieWire’s rising LGBTQ+ filmmakers, is set to helm upcoming feature “Ponyboi,” based on their Tribeca-selected short film of the same name.

The feature will follow an intersex runaway sex worker who tries to escape his New Jersey hometown. Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, and Indya Moore star in “Ponyboi,” which was inspired by River’s own past. “Every Body” marks an important stepping stone not just for River’s own personal history and evolution — but a vital document for all audiences willing to explore what it means to truly honor one’s genuine self.

Rating: A-

Focus Features will release “Every Body” in theaters on Friday, June 30.

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