Veteran Spanish filmmaker Ramón Salazar draws upon the conventions of the over-the-top Hollywood musical to tell the raw, dramatic and often hilarious story of Marieta (Monica Cervera), an unforgettable transvestite with transsexual dreams and a "20-centimeter problem."

Marieta (born Adolfo) needs cash to remove a rather large and cumbersome family trait, yet the conventional job opportunities presented her, like dressing as a man for janitorial work, don't do the trick. More often than not, as night falls, Marieta works the streets alongside a vibrant group of women at various stages along the road of life. To complicate an already challenging existence, Marieta has narcolepsy and is prone to fall asleep without warning at any moment. In these unexpected moments of sleep, Marieta enters a fantasy world where Madrid becomes the magical stage of her leading-lady dreams. In mesmerizing musical outbursts, drab backgrounds are transformed into vivid settings in which Marieta sings her heart out, and steals our hearts.

Salazar sympathetically presents a memorable cast of sexual outlaws who've "all got talent but don't have the money to develop it." Featuring the music of Queen, Madonna, and Ani DiFranco, 20 Centimeters just might steal the "most outrageous musical" crown from that previous Frameline favorite, Yes Nurse! No Nurse!