Heightened Scrutiny

Play trailer

Heightened Scrutiny

Jul 2025

1h 29m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

16 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Fearless civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents' access to gender-affirming healthcare, confronting not only the legal system but also a media landscape that distorts public perception and threatens the struggle for trans rights. With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice.

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Jul 28

3/4

This is a call to action worth heeding, because if we don’t, the next stop could be an Orwellian nightmare we might not be allowed to awaken from.

Go to Full Review

Drew Gregory

Autostraddle

Feb 3

As a trans person, there’s a comfort in hearing the facts laid out so clearly and with such feeling.

Go to Full Review

Siddhant Adlakha

Variety

Feb 3

An immense amount of care and detail goes into its construction, deepening its use of traditional form and packing a powerful punch.

Go to Full Review

Carla Renata

The Curvy Film Critic

Jul 24

Heightened Scrutiny is a cinematic documentation that the fight won't be over anytime soon, but our resolve in continuing to call out injustice in its grossest form no matter the consequences are worth its weight in gold.

Go to Full Review

Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

Jul 15

A timely, moving and illuminating documentary.

Go to Full Review

Vivian McCall

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

May 28

It’s not the most intimate profile—it couldn’t be, Strangio is a high-profile, media-trained lawyer—but Feder’s made a political document worth seeing.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 18

Real pride in 1 hour and 29 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Sam Feder

Director

Gina Chua

Self

Jelani Cobb

Self

Lydia Polgreen

Self

Chase Strangio

Self

Amy Scholder

Producer

Out in the Ring

100%

%

Out in the Ring

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Out in the Ring

Framing Agnes

81%

%

Framing Agnes

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Framing Agnes

For They Know Not What They Do

95%

100%

For They Know Not What They Do

Watchlist

KOKOMO CITY

99%

72%

KOKOMO CITY

Watchlist

TRAILER

for KOKOMO CITY

Wojnarowicz

97%

%

Wojnarowicz

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Wojnarowicz

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Fearless civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents' access to gender-affirming healthcare, confronting not only the legal system but also a media landscape that distorts public perception and threatens the struggle for trans rights. With the dangerous SCOTUS decision upholding the ban on life-saving healthcare, HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY is an urgent call to action against bigotry and injustice.

Director: Sam Feder
Producer: Amy Scholder, Sam Feder, Paola Mendoza
Distributor: Fourth Act Film
Production Co: Ford Foundation - Just Films
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 18, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 29m