Born Maude, becoming Justin — 47 minutes that will dismantle everything you think you know about bodies.
Maude is 17 years old. At birth, she shows signs that make it impossible to identify her gender. The doctors decide she's a girl. Today, she's preparing for a surgical procedure that will transform her into a young man named Justin.
Direction
Bertomeu lets silence do the screaming. Unflinching without exploitation.
Editing
Medical footage intercut with Justin's present tense — temporal whiplash.
Director
Joël Bertomeu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Intersex surgeries on infants remain legal in most countries; this 2015 film predates major activism shifts. Justin's specific case helped fuel Quebec's 2020 ban on non-consensual intersex surgeries.
Director Joël Bertomeu spent three years earning trust before filming. Justin controlled final cut on sensitive scenes — rare for documentary subjects, especially trans/intersex participants.
CA
