What Is a Woman? (2022)

What Is a Woman? has the bracing, button-pushing energy of a road-trip inquiry where the host keeps asking the one question everyone argues about and few define clearly, and it’s that insistence on plain answers that gives the film its momentum. Director Justin Folk frames Matt Walsh’s confrontational, often deadpan interviews like a series of live-wire encounters—sometimes funny, sometimes uncomfortable—designed to test slogans against real-world stakes in medicine, sports, and public policy. Even if you don’t share its conclusions, it’s undeniably watchable as a piece of provocation: tightly focused, eager to simplify a messy debate, and confident enough to let awkward silences do part of the talking. It’s not for viewers looking for a neutral, multi-perspective primer, but if you’re on the fence and want to understand why this conversation has become so combustible, it’s a clear, conversation-starting documentary that practically dares you to argue back.

What Is a Woman? is trying to be a confrontational, punchy documentary that pokes holes in modern gender ideology through gotcha-style interviews, comedy, and culture-war provocation. If you’re looking for a balanced, curious exploration of transgender lives and medical ethics, this will likely feel more like an argument designed to win than a question asked in good faith, with critics pointing to selective framing, ridicule, and claims they consider misleading. The tone is intentionally inflammatory, so viewers who want empathy, nuance, or careful sourcing may find it exhausting or upsetting rather than enlightening. That said, if you already share Walsh’s perspective or you’re specifically interested in a partisan polemic that spotlights controversies around youth medicine and women’s sports, you’ll probably find it brisk, confident, and validating.