Ma vie en rose (1997) **

A very subversive Belgian comedy about a cross-dressing 7-year-old boy who stubbornly insists that he's really a little girl. The first half of the film is played strictly for laughs - the little tyke puts on lipstick and pink dresses, and finds himself a boyfriend. The second half is much darker - homophobia raises its ugly head and everybody (even his parents) turn against him. The light comedy part is handled better - it becomes a little too manipulative near the end - but this is definitely taboo-breaking cinema, and far more important for gay rights than either "In & Out" or "Ellen".