The Pearl

The Pearl is an intimate portrait of the transgender experience for four individuals over 50. Set in the rugged logging towns of the Pacific Northwest, the film explores their private and public transitions from traditional male roles—as fathers and grandfathers, military veterans and construction workers —to living as women. The film begins at the Esprit Conference, an annual event in northernmost Washington where transgender women who have spent their whole lives closeted, come together to express their true identities. From here, we follow four transgender women—a spouse grappling with coming out, a den mother for young trans individuals, and two siblings who shared the same secret— navigate different stages of transition. Through their everyday lives, we witness the hurdles and milestones they face, as well as what it means to confront one’s true self after decades spent in hiding.