Meet Bree (Felicity Huffman). She’s a highly educated and exceedingly conservative telemarketer with a penchant for wearing pink. A nice woman, there is a distinct aura of discomfort surrounding Bree, a feeling that she’s brutally uncomfortable inside her own skin. It isn’t so apparent that a person would notice straight away, but it is there, and if an individual were to look closely enough they couldn’t help but notice it.  

Of course, the fact Bree is a transsexual woman one week shy of her gender reassignment surgery might be the reason for said discomfort, and goodness knows a rational person couldn’t blame her for it if they were to know this fact. But life is going to change for the soon-to-be happily stealth Bree, and the moment she gets the letter from her therapist (Elizabeth Peña) authorizing the surgery things can’t help but get better.

Not that it could be that easy. Out of the blue the trans woman gets a phone call from Toby (Kevin Zegers), a jailed teenage runaway street hustler looking for his father Stanley. Needless to say, for all intents and purposes Bree was Stanley at one point in her life, and the fact that she has a teenage son she never knew about is nearly enough to give her a heart attack. Bree wants nothing to do with the boy, doesn’t want to even acknowledge his existence. But when her therapist insists she confront her past, going so far to withhold legal permission for her longed-for surgery, Bree is suddenly face-to-face with the kid on the steps of a New York police station.

Next thing she knows, Bree is driving cross-country with Toby back to L.A., the boy under the misconception she’s a Christian missionary interested in converting him to Jesus. It’s a regular road trip, the duo lying to one another with the ease of a pair of corrupt politicians the truth becoming buried underneath thick layers of misconception and deceit. As the manipulations mount, their journey undergoes strange twist after surreal sidetrack, the truth eventually exploding to the surface with the only question remaining whether or not the growing friendship between the two can survive its revelation.

This is going to sound like an odd statement considering the subject matter, but “Transamerica” is an exceedingly conventional road movie. That isn’t meant as a knock on the film as a whole. Writer-director Duncan Tucker’s debut is quite remarkable (and remarkably entertaining) in numerous ways. All I’m saying is that the general narrative, the progression of things from beginning to end, isn’t all that unusual. Their car is stolen by a Brad Pitt-like hitchhiker, they run into trouble with Toby’s stepfather in an apparently welcoming small town, find friendship and help from an unlikely drifter and end up spending an acutely uncomforting evening with Bree’s ultra-conservative parents (Fionnula Flanagan and Burt Young, both dazzling), None of the twists and turns are unexpected, none of the curveballs are surprising. And yet, “Transamerica” remains a notable achievement, a good movie made something more thanks to the convictions of its filmmaker and the truly astonishing performance of its star.

For all the obviousness behind the film’s central arc, it is still clear Tucker feels a deep emotional kinship with his creation. Never has a movie dealing with transgender topics done so with such passion, pathos, power and clarity. Not “Boys Don’t Cry,” not “Different for Girls” and most certainly not “Tootsie” or “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Tucker understands how difficult it must be to grow up transgender; how hard it is to be accused of a mental disorder when it is the physical you have a problem with. This understanding is clear from the very first frame, Bree taking an unsavory walk to the bus stop that’s as funny, emotional and true-to-life as any scene the most authentic documentary could ever dream of showcasing. Better, as silly as some of the scenes are (and as close to stereotype they fearlessly tread), Tucker never treats his characters with contempt, never makes them the butt of any jokes, elevating “Transamerica” to a level I never would have imagined it capable of.

None of this would matter a lick without Huffman. The recent Emmy-winner for “Desperate Housewives” gives the performance of the year. This isn’t impersonation or caricature but something else entirely, her richly shaded concert laced with both pain and sacrifice filled with years of struggle to achieve a goal many will never understand is utterly remarkable. She’s also surprisingly funny, making Bree’s self-effacing demeanor a weighty and stark counterpoint to the almost breakneck tragedy hovering perilously close to her. The actor is absolutely transformative, disappearing so completely into the role I almost forgot I wasn’t watching a real transsexual woman deal with these dramatically intricate issues. She is an immediate frontrunner, not just for a nomination, to win the Oscar for Best Actress come next February. It is the performance of a lifetime, and as good as others have been I’m hard-pressed to recall another performance as deep and rich as hers this year.

The movie isn’t perfect. The plot has holes difficult to rationalize or feel remotely comfortable with. Peña’s withholding of Bree’s letter seems particularly cruel considering the circumstances, and many of her and Toby’s mini-adventures are far too contrived – especially early on – for my taste. Worse, as good as Huffman is I could say the exact opposite about her costar. I did not buy Zegers in the role, and whether that is his fault or the failure of Tucker to craft him an interesting character I’m just not sure. The reality is that I didn’t respond to the kid at all, and the more the film wanted me to empathize with him the more I kept wishing he’d simply just disappear.

That said, the moment Bree and Toby step into Calvin’s (a simply marvelous Graham Greene) truck any reservations I was having about “Transamerica” are quickly dismissed. From this moment on Tucker’s writing takes on new life, culminating in a moment between Huffman and Flanagan so powerful I find myself shaking just recalling it. This movie, so long running in the gear of “good,” suddenly steps on the gas and starts racing down the highway in the speed of “great,” showing insight and imagination I didn’t see coming. But it does become great, and even if it takes a little over thirty minutes for the picture to get there the fact that it does, and the fact that I found myself not wanting it to end, makes for one of the more stunning directorial debuts I’ve seen in quite some time.

Don’t get me wrong. There is plenty I wanted from Tucker and his movie that’s promised yet never delivered. But so much of “Transamerica” is right (bordering on brilliant, especially if a person knows any transgender individuals), so much of it hits the heartstrings, that any reservations I could possibly have melted away the moment Bree takes it upon herself to try and smile. This movie, and Huffman’s daring performance, is ones for the ages, and no matter who you are only the most heartless could fail to see that.

Film Rating: êêê1/2  (out of 4)