Pete

If one were to ask random Americans what they value most, then regardless of their politics or ways of life, a sense of fairness would very likely be in there. So would baseball. Brett ‘Brook’ Parker’s Oscar-shortlisted short animation brings these two things together, linking them with Fifties-style art which will, in many, invoke nostalgia for a time when life seemed simpler. Perhaps it never really became more complicated – perhaps we just started worrying about it more than we needed to.

The Pete we meet here hasn’t always had that name. It’s one he chose for himself. It wasn’t a political decision, or one which was intended to make an impression on other people. It’s just that using it seemed to make his life simpler. As many viewers will guess straight away, he’s trans, but to him, that’s just detail. He’s an ordinary boy with an ordinary boy’s ambitions. He wants to play Little League baseball alongside his friends.

At first the coach says no. Unable to understand why, he just stands there, crestfallen, the animation perfectly capturing that sense of loss that is unique to childhood, when it seems impossible to make any progress against the obscurities of adult authority. Fortunately, Pete has his mother to stand up for him. A later remark suggests that she may not fully understand who he is, but she understands that he deserves a fair shot in life, and after a few words with her, the coach does too. So it’s on to the game, which comes with its own pressures and insecurities for all involved. There, confidence comes from experience, and the kids reassure each other – the best of what sport is about.

Not everybody is so sporting. The film addresses adult behaviour which is both transphobic and misogynistic – knee-jerk reactions with no reasoned foundation. Not everybody is ready for change, suggests the voice of an older Pete, narrating. but some people are, and they, like him, don’t really see what the big deal is.

Films about baseball don’t always travel well across the Atlantic. Fortunately you won’t need to know anything about the sport to enjoy this one. It’s a sweet little tale about the value of hope and solidarity, with a final scene which suggests that Pete’s heroism in being himself might help another kid to realise her ambitions. It’s a celebration of the people who do make the effort to change, and of the simple joy of being accepted into a team.

Editors' note: this film is based on a true story about someone who identified as a boy at the time but subsequently came to identify as a girl.