Transamerica

A transsexual about to have male-to-female surgery (Felicity Huffman) suddenly learns of a teenage son (Kevin Zegers) that she fathered back when she was a he; now, on a cross-country drive from New York to California, they’re finally getting acquainted, but the boy still doesn’t know the truth about his traveling companion. Writer-director Duncan Tucker’s low-key script tends to dawdle on the long trip, with a surfeit of Easy Rider-style road shots, but Huffman and Zegers give fine, layered performances that hold our interest and sympathy. The film pays off in a big way when the two reach Phoenix and a reunion with her estranged parents (Burt Young and Fionnula Flanagan) and sister (Carrie Preston); from there on, as dormant family dynamics kick in, things get better and more revealing by the minute.