GEN_

The humanity and diversity of both trans people and those undergoing IVF are foregrounded in this intimate documentary centred on a passionate doctor. Rapidly approaching retirement, Dr Maurizio Bini is an avuncular man who enjoys foraging for mushrooms. But beneath the kindly exterior is a maverick, outspoken powerhouse: Bini specialises in both fertility treatment and gender-affirming care, assisting would-be parents and transgender patients with the same caring, knowledgeable and judgement-free approach. This equitable perspective has garnered him fame and numerous clients from a range of backgrounds, but it has also put him at odds with governments and corporations that prioritise the status quo over self-acceptance. Director Gianluca Matarrese was given unprecedented access to Bini’s office in Milan’s Niguarda Hospital, enabling him to observe the steady stream of stressed individuals who visibly relax around the no-nonsense yet jocular doctor. The resulting documentary presents his patients’ varied life journeys in opposition to the hyperbolic headlines and cruel scare campaigns they have been subjected to, yet it never veers into sensationalism or sanctimony. Instead, this candid and compassionate Sundance-premiering film foregrounds the act of listening as viewers participate in Bini’s series of consultations. Much like its title, GEN_ is premised on the idea of birth, engendering understanding through the act of bearing empathetic witness. “This humanistic film invites us to see beyond the charged rhetoric to the reality of the life-enriching fulfilment Dr Bini is bringing to those in his care.” – Screen Daily