Why Hear Me Roar's depiction of a trans pioneer will be vital viewing

British legal history is sashaying its way onto the silver screen.

Hear Me Roar, a soon-to-be-released gem, chronicles the real-life legal battle of Elizabeth Bellinger, a British trans woman whose fight for recognition shaped the trans movement in the early aughts. Variety reported the star-studded cast includes Emma Thompson (Love Actually), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Anna Friel (Marcella), Julian Ovenden (Bridgerton), and trans actress Rebecca Root (Heartstopper).

Elizabeth Bellinger (Root) is the woman at the story's heart. In 1981, Elizabeth underwent gender-affirming surgery. Shortly after, she and her devoted love, Michael (Eccleston), tied the knot. For nearly two decades, Elizabeth lived "stealth," or concealing her trans identity, with only Michael knowing the inner parts of her true self. In 1998, Elizabeth decided enough was enough, exited the proverbial closet, and launched a campaign to recognize her marriage legally.

Hear Me Roar opens with Elizabeth meeting with her lawyer, Ashley Bayston (Friel), who would later serve as cowriter on the script. Of course, no legal drama is complete without a formidable presence on the bench, with Emma Thompson portraying the High Court Justice Elizabeth Butler-Sloss. Can you imagine hearing Thompson's crisp, eloquent, but stern voice deliver a verdict that could reverberate across a nation?

I have goosebumps just picturing it.

But if you're expecting a neat, tidy conclusion, this is where real life reminds us that progress comes in waves. The court ultimately denied the petition, affirming that in the eyes of British law, Elizabeth's marriage to Michael couldn't be legal. Rejected? Yes. Devastating? Absolutely. But Elizabeth Bellinger's loss paved the way for her to take her case to the House of Lords — then functioning as the nation's supreme court — which laid the groundwork for what would eventually become the 2004 Gender Recognition Act, the piece of legislation that finally gave trans Britons a legal avenue to have their authentic selves recognized.

The film could have the potential power to uplift and address the plight of trans folks in ways shows and movies during the "transgender tipping point" had in the 2010s. And, in an era where trans rights are increasingly seeing pushback, Hear Me Roar may be a film needed now more than ever. Because how many Elizabeths have there been? How many stories, hidden beneath the decades of social stigma, are just waiting for that watershed moment of recognition? It's one thing to have your identity affirmed by loved ones, but another matter entirely to have it recognized by the law. Though two decades later, the debate over identity continues in the United Kingdom and beyond.

The release date has yet to be announced, but I know I'll be front and center when it hits theaters with a tub of buttery popcorn and Milk Duds in tow. As the world increasingly becomes deafeningly noisy, every now and again, we need that one unrelenting voice shouting, "Hear me roar."

And if we choose to listen, who knows what breakthroughs for equality might be around the corner?