Different for Girls (1996)

Different for Girls is a romantic comedy with a quietly radical heart: it treats its central relationship not as a headline or a gimmick, but as two people trying—awkwardly, tenderly, sometimes hilariously—to find their way back to each other. Steven Mackintosh gives Kim a lived-in warmth and dignity that makes every scene feel human rather than “topical,” while Rupert Graves plays Paul as a decent man learning in real time, with all the missteps and sincerity that implies. The film’s vibe is off-kilter and very British—witty one moment, bruisingly honest the next—yet it keeps returning to the simple pleasure of connection, helped along by Miriam Margolyes’ sharp, grounding presence. It isn’t a featherweight romp (there are rough edges, including some ugly prejudice and a tense run-in with authority), but if you want a romance that’s genuinely moving without being sentimental, this one earns its sweetness.

Different for Girls is clearly aiming for a warm, mainstream romance that treats a trans woman’s love story with empathy, mixing comedy-drama beats and a “second chance” reunion hook. The problem is it often plays like a modest TV drama stretched to feature length: the storytelling is conventional, the tonal shifts (sweet, then crude, then suddenly serious) can feel slapdash, and the central chemistry may not fully sell the big emotional turns. It also includes some rough material—bullying, a nasty police sequence, and tabloid exploitation—handled more bluntly than insightfully, which can make the film feel heavier than its light-romcom packaging suggests. If you’re looking for a sharper, more imaginative take on trans experience or a truly swoony romance, this may disappoint; if you can accept an earnest, slightly featherweight 90s British drama with a few strong performances and moments of kindness, it’s an okay time.