They move the conversation away from "spectacle" and toward shared human emotions.

This film follows Trisha, a transgender beauty queen who dies suddenly after being crowned. Her friends fulfill her final wish: to be transformed into a different celebrity for every day of her wake. It is a beautiful, funny, and heartbreaking look at the "pageant culture" and the search for acceptance. 4. Man on High Heels – South Korea

In early Asian cinema, transgender characters were frequently relegated to the "comic relief" or the "tragic figure." They were either there to be laughed at or to suffer.

Beyond the Surface: A Guide to the Representation of Kathoey in Asian Cinema