When we first meet Martina Vidal (Daniela
Vega) she is in her element. A popular nightclub singer performing on stage
with her lover Orlando (Francisco Reyes) in his late fifties watching her
intently. Then the couple go out for a celebratory dinner for Orlando birthday
where he mentions a lavish trip in the making. Following dinner they go home to
Orlando’s apartment to celebrate when he suffers a medical emergency and dies
thus spinning Martina’s world into complete turmoil. Orlando has a family, a grown son, ex-wife, brother and
cousins who never approved of their family members relationship with a
transgendered person. After
Martina brings Orlando to the hospital in an attempt to save her life. She is
treated as a criminal then pursued by a police detective who forces her to be
stripped down to nudity at the station to be photographed amid questions of
prostitution and abuse.
Director Sebastian Lelio continues to show
that he is a storyteller to watch following his break out film Gloria. Again here he trains his lens on
a female that is struggling outside of main stream society to keep her dignity
and push forward. In Gloria the
subject was a middle aged divorced woman. In this case it’s a late 20’s
transgendered person who is shunned at every turn but wants closure of her
relationship with her suddenly departed partner. The offering is also very
timely as the debate on how to treat transgender persons socially and legally
rages in several countries around the world.
Transgendered Actress Daniela Vega is in
just about every frame in the piece as Martina. She has a great inner strength
to stand up for herself in just about every situation but in two scenes where
she has direct dealings with the authorities they break her down to a tiny
pebble. That treatment is worse than any open abuse or ridicule that she faces
including a physical confrontation with Orlando’s son and some of his friends. She’s
also suppressing real operatic talent as detailed in an exchange with her vocal
coach who she visits in the turmoil following Orlando’s death.
With A
Fantastic Woman, Sebastian Lelio has established himself as a strong voice
in world cinema. He again films mainly in his comfort zone in Santiago, Chile
but has branched out with another film his first in English Disobedience with
Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdam set in London that also
screened at TIFF. Lelio continues
tell stories of strong female characters fighting for their individuality and
fulfilment against the backlash of a patristic society.
**** Out of 4.
A Fantastic Woman | Sabastian Lelio | Chile
| 2017 | 104 Minutes.
Tags: Birthday Celebration, Nightclub
Singer, Waitress, Iguaza Falls, Aneurism, Sex Crimes Unit, Physical Exam, Key,
Spa Locker, German Sheppard.
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