Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski) I got this from Strand Releasing, which does Independent film distribution and has many great titles."Mala Mala" is the over inflated look at a bunch of boring, egotistically dull men who dress up as women. Vain, monotonous, and tiresome. Most of them work as prostitutes because they say there are no other jobs, but actually, they don't want to work elsewhere because the money is better in prostitution.Many of them have a serious case of self identity disorder, which causes someone to seek plastic surgery constantly, like older women.It plainly is dull.

Francisco Casals This is an excellent documentary that showcase the individual stories of transsexuals and drag queens, a community that often overlaps which each other. You are looking at the most marginalized group of LGTTB individuals, who they are, how they see themselves and what are their aspirations. The way Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini captured a down-to-earth real life middle-class Puerto Rico yet present it in an alluring way is nothing less than brilliant. As someone who grew up in Puerto Rico I can confirm the authenticity of the landscape and the people. In the 2.5 yrs span that took to shoot the documentary the filmmakers managed to wave an interested and poignant plot culminating with a satisfactory victory. Nothing like Paris is Burning, is not really fair to compare both because the tone, the intent and the narratives are completely different.

MartinHafer "Mala Mala" is not the sort of film I usually watch due to the subject matter, though I am a huge fan of documentaries. This isn't a complaint...and I did enjoy the film. But I mention this because the target audience for the film is probably the LGBT community and because of that, it probably will have a more limited audience than a typical documentary.Filmmakers Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles interviewed a variety of folks who represent a wide spectrum within the trans-gender spectrum in Puerto Rico. The theme of the film seems to be the great variety within this group--different motivations, different lifestyles and different ways they see themselves. They are NOT a monolithic group with one goal and one lifestyle. A few are very flamboyant while others do their best to blend in with society and lead ordinary lives. But the one thing they all have in common is that they want their rights--the right to hold down jobs and to have the same rights before the law as anyone else. Much of the latter portion of the movie is about an effort by a grassroots group to gain these legal rights--and to make Puerto Rico the most liberal and accepting place in the United States for the trans-gender community.The film has a lot going for it. It does a good job humanizing the interviewees without whitewashing them or making them appear noble-- and I credit Santini and Sickles for this. They also have created a very professional film that makes quite the emotional impact on the viewers and it has some excellent points to make. However, it isn't at all surprising that portions of the film are very adult and explicit. This is not a film you'd show your kids and I am sure some of it is bound to offend some viewers' sensibilities. Many might be very accepting of the LGBT community while still not wanting to see some of the more graphic scenes in the documentary. None of this is meant as a critique--it's more to let the viewer know so they can make an informed decision as to whether or not to watch the film.

Greg White Mala Mala not only captures the dazzling lives of Puerto Rico's trans gendered community, but also accomplishes the rarest of all documentary missions -- we witness favorable changes in the governmental legal system about a country's treatment of trans gender. America doesn't yet have that legislation; however, with films like Mala Mala, there's hope that one day the world will recognize this community which deserves -- and needs - our support. The film's is shot and edited in a fantastic rhythmic style that opened my eyes to a situation that might take place in another county, but lands on America's doorstep. The story is on point, and I felt privileged to step into the lives of the participants.