Soldier's Girl (2003)

The true story of the price a young soldier paid for falling in love with a transsexual night-club performer.

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writer:

Ron Nyswaner

Stars:

Troy Garity, Lee Pace, Andre Braugher

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Troy Garity	...	Barry Winchell
Lee Pace	...	Calpernia Addams
Andre Braugher	...	Sergeant Carlos Diaz
Shawn Hatosy	...	Justin Fisher
Philip Eddolls	...	Calvin Glover
Merwin Mondesir	...	Henry Millens
Dan Petronijevic	...	Collin Baker (as Daniel Petronijevic)
Mike Realba	...	Edgar Martinez
Jeanie Calleja	...	Ashley Martinez
Barclay Hope	...	Sergeant Howard Paxton
Tulsi Balram	...	Ginger
Vince Corazza	...	Lester
Kathryn Zenna	...	Female Guard
Kent Staines	...	Mistress of Ceremonies
Sofonda	...	Midnight Express

Storyline

The true story of the price a young soldier paid for falling in love with a transsexual night-club performer.

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Plot Keywords:

tragic event | murder | drinking | beaten to death with a baseball bat | gay soldier | 

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Taglines:

She was the only man he ever loved.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, a scene of strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Soldier's Girl

Filming Locations:

Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bachrach/Gottlieb Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actual Barry Winchell was six and one half years younger than Calpernia Addams, but in the film the age difference is almost exactly reversed, Lee Pace, the actor who portrays Calpernia, is six years younger than Troy Garity, the actor who portrays Winchell.

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Goofs

When Pvt. Barry Winchell reports to SSG Diaz he is told by Diaz that he will be assigned as the assistant gunner for the 40mm grenade launcher. This could be a reference to the Mk-19 40mm belt fed grenade launcher. However, we later see Pvt Winchell carrying an M-203 40mm grenade launcher. The M-203 is not a crew served weapon, it is operated by a single soldier and therefore doesn't need an assistant to operate it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mistress of Ceremonies: Ladies and gentlemen, and all of the rest of you... Welcome to the Miss Tennessee Entertainer of the Year Pageant.
[applause]
Mistress of Ceremonies: If you take a girl home tonight, and you find that her clitoris is just a touch too prominent and her ovaries are hanging really low, you might have ended up with one of our contestants.

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Crazy Credits

Justin Fisher was sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison for obstruction of justice and providing alcohol to a minor. He will be eligible for parole in three years.

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Connections

Featured in Soldiers' Secrets (2004)

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Soundtracks

Turn It Round
Written by: Scott Nickoley, Jamie Dunlap, and Molly Pasutti

User Reviews

Movie worth seeing

I remember a couple of months ago hearing the story of Barry Winchell on A&E. I was so hurt and disgusted by the fact that something like this could happen and the person that did this awful thing was not put to death. So later when I heard about Soldier's Girl, I decided to rent it and check it out. I put it in and was entranced by this amazing love story. I was moved to tears, which is a difficult thing for me to do. The story was so loving and yet so tragic. Like Calpernia says in the beginning of the movie, "I'm going to tell you a story, like all great stories, it is a love story. And like all great love stories, it's tragic." The movie broke my heart and I was ashamed to know that my country let this happen and go unpunished in my opinion. Facing the homophobia of society is tough for any person, I know this first hand. Barry Winchell was a resilient person to be able to take what he took from others, and not let them stop him from falling in love. Best movie I've seen based on a true story in awhile. I would recommend seeing it to anyone.