Reviewing a reality series is nothing like reviewing a movie or TV show. There isn’t a plot for me to analyze, characterizations to appraise or acting to critique.
There are just people — real, breathing people — interacting with others, expressing intimate thoughts and trying to get through this world just like the rest of us.
However, some have a harder journey than others.
Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself to the world on the cover of Vanity Fair in June in what was probably the most publicized gender transition to date. Many had gotten to know her as Bruce Jenner, a former Olympic athlete and patriarch of the spotlight-centered family in “Keeping Up with Kardashians.” And while social media blew up with support from family and civilians, the question remained: How would people react face-to-face?
That’s where the eight-part documentary series, “I Am Cait,” picks up. Caitlyn has already transitioned, but her family has yet to meet her.
The first episode observes Caitlyn’s first interactions with her mother, her two sisters, her daughter Kylie and her stepdaughter Kim and Kim’s husband Kanye.
There is a lot of anxiety in these meetings, particularly when Caitlyn is waiting for her mother and sisters to arrive. Her sisters seems able to adjust to the change more easily, but Caitlyn’s mom, Esther, is a different case.
This is how the show, for a moment, switches the focus to how gender transitioning affects parents. The audience is made to sympathize with Esther as she struggles to accept Caitlyn. But it’s not malicious. It’s a simple lack of understanding and an issue of familiarity and habit, which is handled well through the assistance of a gender therapist and a personal conversation with Caitlyn.
What is amazing about this series is Caitlyn is determined to make it not just about her. She’s not using these cameras just to tell her story, as important as it is, but also as an opportunity to educate others.
Caitlyn mentions several times throughout the episode how she feels responsible for transgender youth. She feels a need to speak out for them, to bring attention to transgender issues.
In the first episode, we see her looking up a news story about a transgender teen who took his own life. Caitlyn actually goes to visit the teen’s family. She reveals darks times in her own life when she considered ending it all.
“I Am Cait” is raw and emotional, and, though it is centered around Caitlyn Jenner, she is so eager to share her spotlight with others in her position.
I can’t tell you to watch it because of the phenomenal acting or name-drop a director who will pull you in. But I would encourage you to watch this series purely for the education it provides of transgender issues. The problems these people face on a daily basis are not something our society can continue to ignore.
They exist. They deserve the same rights as everyone else. And Caitlyn is here to make sure we never forget it.
Lexia Banks
