Exploring what it means to be a queer teen in the 2020s, Niñxs turns the transition narrative and the coming-of-age portrait on their heads, as director Kani Lapuerta lets Karla Bañuelos — who is always playfully aware of the camera — shape the project into a cinematic diary. But a vanity project, this is not… Joyful and revelatory, Niñxs is the culmination of eight years of trust and bonding between Karla and the director — who defy the conventions of “documentarian” and “subject” by collaborating as co-authors of the film.

Supported by her friends and parents (a pair of former punks) as she decides to legally transition, Karla still has to deal with the prejudices of a mostly conservative society in a small and isolated town. When asked what she wants the audience to think as they watch the film, Karla says she just wants them to laugh. And by using that as a barometer, Niñxs is a grand success.