This is a list of films with fictional and factual intersex characters. The films were released theatrically, direct-to-video, or on a streaming platform (non-linear network). This list does not include documentaries, which are included in the categories of , or animated intersex characters, which are noted in List of fictional intersex characters.
Various live-action films feature either intersex issues as a plot element or have intersex characters. Films are in alphabetical order by year of release. Titles beginning with determiners "A", "An", and "The" are alphabetized by the first significant word.
20th century
1900–1959
Year Title Character(s) Actor Notes Country 1919 Aus eines Mannes Mädchenjahren (A Man's Girlhood) Franziska Erika Glässner Loosely adapted from Karl M. Baer's 1907 Memoirs of a Man's Maiden Years, this silent-era drama explores gender identity through the tragic story of Franziska, heir to an entailed estate. Born with intersex traits, Franziska is raised as a boy to secure the family inheritance—until a blackmailer forces them to live as a girl. Unaware of their biology, Franziska struggles with societal expectations, culminating in a failed arranged marriage, psychological unraveling, and eventual suicide. An autopsy reveals their intersex condition. Today, there are no known surviving prints of the film. Germany 1919 Different from the Others Slideshow including intersex persons One of them was 'Raspania' (uncredited), an intersex person who worked for the German circus Sarrasani. In a lecture on the natural diversity of the sexual and gender spectrum, the Doctor, a character portrayed by Magnus Hirschfeld, displays images of women with masculine traits and men with feminine traits, including intersex individuals. Germany 1927 Gesetze der Liebe (Laws of Love) Slideshow including intersex persons 'Raspania' (credited) A doctor (Magnus Hirschfeld) gives a lecture on sexuality in nature, discussing human sexuality and its natural variations, which are anomalous yet nonpathological. Germany 1932 The Blood of a Poet Intersex body Possibly as a mirrored reflection of the main character's soul (played by Enrique Riveros). In front of the fourth door, side by side, stand two shoes—a man's and a woman's. “In room nineteen, the desperate rendezvous of hermaphrodites take place,” remarks the narrator. The main character peeks through the keyhole: Drawn in chalk, an intersex body gradually emerges to the sound of a drumroll. Real male arms extend out of the drawing, followed by human legs and the face of a Gorgon. A sign concealing the sexual organs bears the warning: "Danger of death." France 1932 Freaks Half Woman-Half Man Josephine Joseph Josephine Joseph's only acting performance is the first (mis)representation of an intersex person in cinema. United States 1953 Glen or Glenda Alan/Anne 'Tommy' Haynes Ed Wood's docudrama advocates for tolerance and explores gender roles and social issues in the postwar era, offering a provocative discussion on gender politics. Alan is a war veteran and "pseudo-hermaphrodite", who decides to undergo gender-affirming surgery to become a woman, Anne. United States
1960–1969
Year Title Character(s) Actor Notes Country 1965 The Mandrake L'Uomo-Donna (The Man-Woman) Donato Castellaneta In a street market, a person is shown with a masculine appearance on one side and a feminine one on the other, including unilateral gynecomastia. Italy, France 1969 Fellini Satyricon Hermaphroditus Pasquale Baldassarre Fellini's Satyricon is a representation of the "otherness" of the unconscious. The albino Hermaphroditus, demigod and oracle (that must be kept constantly wet or he will die) is "the mouthpiece of the gods". On set Eileen Hughes asked Eugene Walter (the American dialogue coach) why Fellini wanted a "hermaphrodite" in the film: "Nowadays, if a family had a hermaphrodite, they would keep it a deep dark secret or have an operation, but in these times, it is a magical thing, a gift of the gods, and the child becomes an oracle." Italy 1969 The Labyrinth of Sex Roberta/Robert X uncredited After informing the audience about the causes of homosexuality and various fetishes with a lot of Freudian mambo-jambo, Alfonso Brescia's "informative" docudrama turns its focus to intersex people. It tells the story of Roberta/Robert X, showing actual footage of their final surgery. The film then presents a few cases of "malformations" in children, arguing that operations on them are necessary to prevent "psychic trauma". Italy
1970–1979
Year Title Character(s) Actor Notes Country 1970 I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen all women in the first timeline Jana Brejchová, etc. In this science fiction comedy (filmed at the end of the summer of 1968, after the Prague Spring), set in a "distant," dystopian future following an atomic holocaust, women have become infertile and bearded. To save humanity's future, they decide the best course of action is to travel back in time and kill Einstein. However, the mission fails when Doctor Given (Jana Brejchová) falls in love with the young Einstein. As an alternative, she marries him and persuades him to abandon physics in favor of becoming a violinist. The team succeeds in changing the timeline... only to discover that World War III ends in a chemical holocaust, and now, men grow breasts and have high-pitched voices. Czechoslovakia all men in the second timeline 1970 Tintomara Tintomara Pia Grønning Based on the novel Drottningens juvelsmycke by Jonas Love Almqvist featuring one of Swedish literature's most enduringly popular characters, the eponymous androgyne Tintomara. Sweden, Denmark 1972 My Dearest Senorita Adela/Juan Castro José Luis López Vázquez Adela Castro is an intersex woman raised under Francoist Spain's rigid gender norms. After decades living as a spinster, she discovers through medical intervention that she is biologically male. Pressured by societal and institutional forces (Church, medicine, and heteronormativity), she undergoes masculinizing surgery and transitions to living as "Juan." Moving to Madrid for a fresh start, Juan struggles with his new identity—his legal documents still identify him as female, creating bureaucratic and social obstacles. Spain 1973 The Final Programme Miss Brunner merged with Jerry Cornelius Jon Finch Dystopian sci-fi based on the novel The Final Programme by Michael Moorcock. UK 1973 The Holy Mountain Old "hermaphrodite" uncredited Near the end of the movie, at the summit of the mountain, a pilgrim lifts a sheet to reveal an elderly "hermaphrodite". The pilgrim drinks milk from one of their breasts, which then transforms into jaguar heads. The "hermaphrodite" proceeds to shower the pilgrim with milk. Mexico 1976 God Told Me To Bernard Phillips Richard Lynch Bernard Phillips, a messiah and cult leader who was virgin-born (via alien immaculate conception), has a vagina on their chest and seeks to spawn a new species. Director Larry Cohen: "...the whole idea of the mating between the Detective and the alien came from the fact that Richard Lynch literally had this big crevice in his chest that looked like a vagina. I saw that and said, “Well, here’s something new we can do.”" (more than 70% of his skin was burned in an accident) United States 1976 Private Vices, Public Pleasures Mary Vetsera Teresa Ann Savoy Losely based on the Mayerling incident, the director Miklós Jancsó, decided to portray Mary Vetsera as intersex. Italy, Yugoslavia
1980–1989
Year Title Character(s) Actor Notes Country 1980 Eva Man (Due sessi in uno) Eva Man Eva Robin's In this (inter)sexploitation comedy the protagonist is an (inter)sex machine. Given the genre of the film, it likely stems purely from a voyeuristic perspective, but it is worth mentioning that the surgeon refused to perform gender-affirming surgery on Eva, stating: "She asked me to transform her into a woman, like so many 'hermaphrodites' who are forced to choose between one or the other gender. But seeing what a 'marvelous example of hermaphroditism' she is, I couldn't do it." Italy, Spain 1981 Deadly Blessing Faith Stohler Lisa Hartman A strange string of murders begins, seemingly carried out by Hartman, an intersex neighbor with an intense need to shut out anyone from Jensen's life. United States 1983 Appearances Are Deceptive Adriana/Adrián Isela Vega In a provincial bourgeoisie with rigidly defined roles regarding gender, social status, and more, appearances are of utmost importance. Bit by bit, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo's film peels back the mask of Mexico's hypocritical society in the late 1970s. The theme of what it means to be intersex is only briefly touched upon: when Adrian begins to develop breasts during puberty, they disappear. A few years later, a mysterious niece, Adriana, appears. The life of an intersex person is portrayed as one of secrecy, particularly surrounding their genitals, reflecting the societal stigma and shame often imposed on those who do not fit binary norms. Adriana's insistence on preserving their virginity until marriage is a way to keep their genitals a secret, avoiding questions or scrutiny about their body. Nevertheless, while they fear society's condemnation, they like their body. After all, they exclaim: "I am perfect!" in response to Rogelio's joke: "Why are you so afraid of losing your virginity? I think you are defective." Intersexuality is used here to introduce an element that, at the time, was considered "monstrous" and morally ambiguous. Mexico 1985 The Mystery of Alexina Herculine Barbin Philippe Vuillemin Based on the story of Herculine Barbin. France 1985 Enemy Mine Jeriba Shigan Louis Gossett Jr. Based on Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear. Will: "Oh, my God! Are you telling me you're pregnant? [...] But how'd..." Jeriba: "With you humans,... birth is a matter of choice. With us Dracs,... it happens. When the time comes,... it just happens." United States 1986 Entrails of a Beautiful Woman "Zombie-hermaphrodite" (Hiromi melted with a gangster) Hiromi, a female psychologist seeks revenge on a yakuza clan involved in trafficking women as sexual slaves. After being brutally gang-raped, murdered, and dismembered, she is buried alongside the body of a gangster. The two corpses fuse together, their remains melting into a single, horrifying "zombie-hermaphrodite" with grotesque genitalia. Japan 1986 Never Too Young to Die Velvet von Ragner Gene Simmons (bassist of Kiss) In this film, sexual otherness is portrayed as evil: Velvet von Ragner is a sinister hermaphrodite, bisexual drag queen, and cult leader aiming to seize control of Los Angeles. United States
1990–1999
Year Title Character(s) Actor Notes Country 1994 Angel Dust Tomoo Suma Etsushi Toyokawa After forensic psychiatrist Dr. Setsuko Suma is murdered, their autopsy revealed their intersexuality. Japan 1994 Clerks thematic - In one scene, Dante notices that Randal has rented a film titled Best of Both Worlds and asks about it. Randal explains that it is "hermaphroditic porn" featuring "starlets with both organs" and comments on their anatomy. He states that he likes to "expand his horizons." Later, Dante's ex-girlfriend, arrives at the store while Randal is watching the rented movie. There is a facetious flirt between the two. When Randal jokes about joining in with her and Dante, she responds that he "might be let down" because she is "not a hermaphrodite." Randal replies, "Few are." United States 1995 Ring Sadako Yamamura Ayane Miura TV movie based on Koji Suzuki's novel Ring.