imagineNATIVE 26 FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! For one of the most exquisitely done portraits that is too grand for a frame, gaze upon the powerful documentary short IXIM (el amor no tiene genero), written and directed by Alex PV. It begins at night in a city, with Alex PV standing at attention while his voice speaks poetry overhead. He is going to visit Monica Chub, a famous Mayan trans woman. Monica is one of the first indigenous trans woman activists in Guatemala, doing educational outreach work in rural areas throughout Central America, where misinformation is even more rampant than in the cities. Monica and Alex meet, with both enjoying a cup of robust black coffee, before going to the church to light a candle as an offering.
Monica speaks of her background, her eventual blossoming, and also how proud she is to both speak Mayan and wear Mayan dresses. Monica’s mother is also interviewed, where she speaks about how proud she is of her child, even if she misgenders her sometimes by mistake. Monica brings attention to the dangers trans women face, particularly those who come to the city only speaking Mayan. They get forced into sex work, which exposes them to the danger of being murdered, like Nancy Sacul was in 2022. Julia Carolina Cal, a clinical psychologist, describes the emotional disorders trans women suffer from as a result of being systematically violated by society in many different directions. Monica stands up to the wraith and keeps trying to break down the hatred.
“IXIM makes the extraordinary feel normal because it is.”
IXIM (el amor no tiene genero) is a high-end documentary short that plays like high-end art photography; it deserves to travel to museum after museum. Thanks to the outstanding cinematography by Emmanuel Arcon, there are several portraits in this film that could give Avedon or Leibovitz a run for their money. The portrait effect is from this amazing decision the director makes in having the focal subject stand still while their voice plays overhead. These long, lingering takes allow for a mesmerizing study, particularly of Monica’s striking beauty.
Monica has her work cut out for her, as Guatemala is a tough room to play. It takes guts to go to the places that Monica dares to go, especially by dressing as a Mayan woman. Monica leans into her heritage now precisely because of the negative reactions she would get for it. I understand machismo in that area is tuned up to 11, so I can bet the verbal firebombs are horrific. That is why it is so incredible how PV is able to make everything extraordinarily normal, because it is. The subtitle of IXIM (el amor no tiene genero) in English is love has no gender. It is an incredible portrait of bravery in the face of a hurricane of intolerance.
IXIM (el amor no tiene género) screened at the 2026 imagineNATIVE Film Festival.
"…an incredible portrait of bravery in the face of a hurricane of intolerance."
