Call me Miles

ABOUT

Marguerite Robinson and Deon Maree’s had a happy child. Their child was intelligent, curious, loving and content. The proud parents decided that Pretoria’s all girl’s Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool would provide the perfect environment to develop their child’s full potential. However, high school coincided with the onset of puberty, and the start of a difficult and life-changing phase in their teenager’s life. 

Suddenly, their child felt increasingly uncomfortable in their surroundings and in their body. Their carefree, bright child became a morbid teenager who resorted to self-harm (cutting) and repeated suicide attempt ts. They were trapped in the body of a girl and they hated themself for it.

Call Me Miles is the story of an ordinary middle-class Afrikaans family facing extraordinary challenges. It  is a raw and unflinching look into the lives of a close-knit family desperately trying to deal with their precious child’s trauma, pain, anger, depression, and self-loathing. 

The film follows Miles from childhood through their teens to their eventual top surgery that was the only way for them to feel comfortable in their own skin.

We meet Miles’ friends, including a nursery school friend who later emigrated to Australia. The two had played together as little children. Continents apart, and unaware of each other’s struggles, they walked on very similar paths. Now, years later, Lawrence and Miles meet again as happy, openly transgender adults.

Call Me Miles charts the journey of one person’s search for acceptance, happiness, and hope.

DIRECTIONS