Available on Disney+ and starring ‘Supergirl’ star Nicole Maines, the teen adventure is much more than a teen ghost comedy.
The supernatural comedy ‘Darby and the Spirits’, now available on Disney+ Spain, garnered mixed reviews from critics, but also achieved a goal it may not have set out to achieve: providing a roadmap for positive trans inclusion in future films, especially those aimed at a youthful audience.
The story stars Darby (Riele Downs), a high school student who helps ghosts make a peaceful transition to the afterlife. After witnessing the death of queen bee Capri (Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho), she is forced to make sure the recently deceased teen still gets to see her “sweet 17” birthday party.
To organize the party, Darby needs the help of Capri’s friends, the popular school gang, one of whom is a girl named Piper (Nicole Maines).
Maines has already made headlines for playing television’s first trans superhero, Dreamer, on the CW’s ‘Supergirl.’ But in ‘Darby and the Dead’ he doesn’t star in a sci-fi adventure. She is one of the popular girls in a high school gang, and her character’s trans identity is not central to the plot nor is she the subject of any derogatory humor or dramatic issues.
In fact, if the audience misses a short sentence, they won’t even know that she is trans. And it comes during an amusing conversation, the information delivered with a deadpan tone that defines Piper’s attitude in the gang. She is essentially the Daria of the group.
While in the locker room, a character named Taylor (Kylie Liya Page) begins asking for a tampon, unable to find the one she slipped into her bag. When she asks Piper if she has a tampon, the character replies curtly, “Still trans.” The answer should be enough to earn a good chuckle from the viewers.
And this is how movies include trans characters in jokes without making their identity the target of humor, as has been done over and over again in series like friends. ‘Darby and the Dead’ doesn’t make a big deal out of Piper’s gender identity. And while any of the other popular girls could make a fuss about it, they don’t. This suggests that either Capri welcomed Piper into her gang and made it a law that she was to be treated like any other friend, or that none of the girls cared enough to make trouble about it. The movie never specifies which one, because there’s no need.
The road map for a greater positive trans inclusion in the cinema is found in this normalization. And it seems so simple because it is simple. Trans characters can be included in any story by allowing for the uncomplicated reality that they are people just like anyone else.
It doesn’t have to be more complicated than writing a left-handed or redheaded character. These are minor characteristics of any individual that do not relate to the narrative or take the spotlight. They are just details about people. Darby and the Dead’ was unfazed by Piper’s identity or Maines’ casting. Social networks did not make any scandal. Why? Because it wasn’t a big deal. And that mindset should carry over into movies going forward when it comes to writing and casting characters.
One of the biggest complaints about the inclusion of queer characters in movies and TV series tends to be: “How important is their identity/sexuality to the story?” Answer: Probably none. It’s not like being gay provided extra protection against enemies on ‘The Walking Dead’ or ‘Hall of the Dragon’.
But casting queer characters helps make any story more representative of the world the audience lives in, and that obviously includes trans characters. The good news is that 2022 was a positive year for trans inclusion in cinema, with films like ‘Anything is possible’ and ‘Wendell & Wild’.
The hope going forward is that writers and casting directors look at the roadmap provided by ‘Darby and the Dead’ to include trans characters in their own projects in a healthy and positive way. It doesn’t have to be as difficult as helping ghosts make a peaceful transition to the afterlife.
‘Darby and the Dead’ is now available to watch now on Disney+ Spain.
Source: Fotogramas
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
