Born to Be (2019): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2019, Born to Be is a documentary film directed by Tania Cypriano, running about 92 minutes. “When you see yourself, who do you see?” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Soon after New York state passed a 2015 law that health insurance should cover transgender-related care and services, director Tania Cypriano and producer Michelle Hayashi began bringing their cameras behind the scenes at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, where this remarkable documentary captures the emotional and physical journey of surgical transitioning. Lending equal narrative weight to the experiences of the center’s groundbreaking surgeon Dr. Jess Ting and those of his diverse group of patients, BORN TO BE perfectly balances compassionate personal storytelling and fly-on-the-wall vérité. It’s a film of astonishing access—most importantly into the lives, joys, and fears of the people at its center.

Who’s in it. Born to Be stars Leiomy Maldonado as Self, Garnet Rubio as Self, Mahogany Phillips as Self and Jess Ting as Self, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 3.0/10, Born to Be has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Born to Be page.

If you liked it. Fans of Born to Be tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.