Supernatural comedy Darby and the Dead, which has arrived on Disney+ in the UK, has earned mixed reviews from critics but also accomplished a goal it might not have set out to achieve: providing a roadmap for positive trans inclusion in future films.
The story follows Darby (Riele Downs), a high-school student who helps ghosts peacefully transition into the afterlife. After witnessing the death of queen bee Capri (Moana's Auli'i Cravalho), she gets roped into ensuring the newly-dead teen can still witness her "sweet 17" birthday party.
To throw the party, Darby needs the help of Capri's friends in the popular clique at school, one of whom is a girl named Piper (Nicole Maines).
Watch Darby and the Dead on Disney+
Maines already made headlines for playing television's first trans superhero, Dreamer, on CW's Supergirl. But in Darby and the Dead, she's not starring in some science-fiction adventure. She's one of the popular girls in a high-school clique, and her character's trans identity is neither central to the plot nor the subject of any derogatory humour.
In fact, if audiences miss one quick line, they wouldn't even know she was trans. And the exchange comes during a funny exchange, delivered with a deadpan tone that defines Piper's attitude in the clique. She's essentially the Daria of the group.
While in the locker room, a character named Taylor (Kylie Liya Page) starts asking around for a tampon, unable to find the one she packed in her purse. When she asks Piper if she has a tampon, the character dryly responds, "Still trans". The exchange should be enough to earn a good snort chuckle from folks watching.
And this is how films include trans characters in jokes without making their identity the butt of the humour, as has been done to death in shows like Friends and films like Ace Ventura.
Darby and the Dead doesn't make a big deal out of Piper's gender identity. And while any of the other popular girls could easily raise a fuss about it, they don't. This suggests Capri either welcomed Piper into their clique and laid down the law that she was to be treated like any other friend, or none of the girls ever cared enough to make it a problem. The film never specifies which, because there's no need.
The roadmap to further positive trans inclusion in film is found in this normalisation. And it seems so simple because it is simple. Trans characters can be included in any story by allowing for the uncomplicated reality that they're people like anybody else.
It doesn't have to be any more complicated than writing a character who is left-handed or has red hair. These are minor characteristics of any individual that don't relate to the narrative or get thrown into the spotlight. They're just details about people.
Darby and the Dead didn't bat an eye at Piper's identity or Maines' casting. Social media didn't raise any fuss. Why? Because it wasn't a big deal. And that mindset should be present in movies going forward where writing and casting characters is concerned.
One of the biggest complaints about the inclusion of queer characters in movies and television shows tends to be, "How is their identity/sexuality important to the story?" Answer: It probably isn't. It's not like being gay provided any extra protection from foes in The Walking Dead or House of the Dragon. In fact, it tends to be the opposite in the latter (RIP, Ser Joffrey).
But casting queer characters helps to make any story more representative of the world the audience lives in, and that obviously includes trans characters. The good news is 2022 was a positive year for trans inclusion in film, with movies like Anything's Possible and Wendell & Wild.
The hope going forward is screenwriters and casting directors will look at the roadmap provided by Darby and the Dead for including trans characters in their own projects in a healthy and positive manner. It doesn't have to be as difficult as helping ghosts peacefully transition into the afterlife.
Darby and the Dead is available to watch now on Disney+ in the UK.
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