Netflix has put a warning card on the controversial Belgian film sa国际传媒淕irl,sa国际传媒� which landed on the streaming service Friday in markets including Canada, and created a resource website for its viewers.

Directed and co-written by Lukas Dhont, the Golden Globe-nominated drama has already screened at several film festivals and upset some critics with the way it depicts a 15-year-old transgender girl pursing her dream of being a ballerina while preparing for sexual reassignment surgery.

Viewers who click on the film on Netflix will first see a sa国际传媒漹iewer discretion is advisedsa国际传媒� card that says the sa国际传媒渇ilm covers sensitive issues, and includes some sexual content, graphic nudity, and an act of self-harm.sa国际传媒�

The card also mentions www.girlmovie.info, which contains information about The Trevor Project, a 24-hour, toll-free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth in the U.S.

Also on the site is a link to TrevorSpace, an international community for young LGBTQ people, as well as the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD and a video featuring Dhont and Nora Monsecour, a trans female dancer from Belgium whose life inspired sa国际传媒淕irl.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭he actions portrayed in this work of fiction are extremely dangerous and should not be attempted,sa国际传媒� says the site.

sa国际传媒淕enital mutilation, hormone overdose, and acting against trans-competent medical advice are life-threatening behaviours likely to make gender-affirming surgeries impossible. Safe options and transgender resources exist if you or a loved one wish to medically transition. If you are considering self-harm or suicide, support is available. You are not alone.sa国际传媒�

Netflix says it worked on the warning card and site with GLAAD and The Trevor Project and other LGBTQ-focused organizations.

The site is similar to the one the streaming service created for its teen drama series sa国际传媒�13 Reasons Why,sa国际传媒� which tackles the subject of suicide.

Belgian actor Victor Polster stars as the protagonist in sa国际传媒淕irl,sa国际传媒� who visits medical doctors and undergoes hormone therapy while training in the competitive world of dance. The film won several top awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including the Camera dsa国际传媒橭r award for best first feature film.

READ MORE:

Some film critics have expressed concern that the film is told from the perspective of a cisgender filmmaker with a cisgender actor playing the lead. They also take issue with the way the story was handled, noting it contains several graphic scenes focusing on the charactersa国际传媒檚 genitalia and a harrowing part involving self-mutilation.

sa国际传媒淭he film has the potential to be very dangerous for a young trans person in any country who might stumble upon this and think that somehow that is a route to take to get the body that theysa国际传媒檝e always felt they should have had in the first place,sa国际传媒� Tresa国际传媒檝ell Anderson, the Los Angeles-based director of culture and entertainment for Out magazine, said in a recent phone interview.

sa国际传媒淥ne thing the film does is it contextualizes the trans experience as being one that is purely physical and one that is purely medical. It oversimplifies the experience of being trans and doesnsa国际传媒檛 take into account the psychological state of being that trans is as well.sa国际传媒�

Anderson, who identifies as gender non-conforming, noted many trans people worldwide are required to go through therapy and have medical professionals sign off on their mental state in order for gender confirmation surgery to take place.

sa国际传媒淏eing trans is about so much more than just our bodies, itsa国际传媒檚 about more than just our genitalia, and the film did not and does not represent that aspect of being trans,sa国际传媒� said Anderson, who saw the film at a screening in L.A.

Mathew Rodriguez, a staff writer at Into magazine in Los Angeles, said he was also upset with the emphasis on the physical aspects of the character, noting the self-harm scene made him sa国际传媒渁ngry.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚 think that we donsa国际传媒檛 necessarily need to see violence against trans bodies in that gratuitous kind of voyeuristic way on camera right now. Thatsa国际传媒檚 not necessary, and especially written and directed by someone who has not had the trans experience, it feels exploitative,sa国际传媒� said Rodriguez, whose review of sa国际传媒淕irlsa国际传媒� last October called the film sa国际传媒渁nother example of trans trauma porn.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淲hen someone talks about, sa国际传媒極h, this film wasnsa国际传媒檛 about trans, it was about adolescencesa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� using a trans story to tell a story about adolescence that you want to resonate with or that you want to make universal, feels a little exploitative to me.sa国际传媒�

Dhont was unavailable for comment, Netflix said Thursday, but he recently told the British daily newspaper The Guardian that he consulted Monsecour on the filmsa国际传媒檚 script and edits. He also said he and the filmsa国际传媒檚 critics sa国际传媒渉ave the same cause.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 want to be against them, I want to be together and pushing forwards,sa国际传媒� Dhont said.

Rodriguez said hesa国际传媒檇 like to see more investment sa国际传媒渋n amplifying trans narratives that are by trans people, directed by trans people, starring trans people, not cis people who are made to play trans parts.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淓very major role in this film, when you talk about lead actor, director, script writer sa国际传媒� at every turn where trans people could have been involved they were not, and thatsa国际传媒檚 the tragedy.sa国际传媒�

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .