'Just Like A Woman' is a very amusing story with an attractive leading character, Gerald who is charming and interesting. He is a heterosexual male who feels happiest when he is wearing women's clothes. He is at first so ashamed of this, and so afraid of judgments that he hides this desire from everyone, and lives in fear of discovery.
In the beginning of the movie his wife and children come home unexpectedly early from a trip, and find women's clothing, make-up, and accessories. His wife accuses him of having an affair and files for divorce. Gerald could have tried to explain that he was a transvestite, however chooses not to so that he doesn't have to live with the fear of loosing his job or from any other social pressures that could be pressed upon him. Gerald then moves into a boarding house and meets Monica, an older woman who discovers his transvestism. Monica is very supportive of Gerald, and his feminine personality, Geraldine.
This movie is entertaining, but lacks in substance, that is to say that the character of Gerald/Geraldine is not fully developed. The sexuality of the character is identified as entirely male, however his gender identity is not entirely relieved in the movie. In the beginning we think that Gerald is a transvestite, meaning that he identifies his gender as a male, but likes to wear women's clothing for either fun, or to make himself feel more comfortable.
Gerald's character seems to be confused of his own gender as he begins to have a relationship with the supportive Monica. She is at first thrown off by his transvestitism, but it becomes part of their sex play, which moves from being transvestitism to being a fetish. It is not explained if it is part of a fetish for him in the movie, but as Monica talks to some of her girlfriends about it she admits to finding it very exciting. Therefor she may be helping him discover his nature and gender in a way to satisfy her new desires.
In the end of the film Gerald goes to a business meeting as a woman, stating that he and Monica were in business together. At first he is not entirely recognized, but is still shy and afraid of being found out, but by the end of the meeting he decides to give a shock to a man that had wronged him before. In this scene, it appears that Gerald is more willing to be seen publicly in as a woman. So it appears that he has become transgendered rather than being a transvestite. (Meaning that he is beginning to see himself as a woman in gender). This movie would be much more interesting if the film was willing to express the differences in sexuality, and gender identity.
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