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A Fantastic Woman
This invigorating and inspiring Chilean drama from Sebastián Lelio (Gloria) follows a trans woman’s quest for a little respect. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 2018.
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Overview
When her lover Orlando dies suddenly one night, Marina (Daniela Vega) is left in a state of shock. But nothing can prepare her for what follows. Still raw with grief, the singer and waitress must navigate the horrors of recounting the night to Orlando’s family, whose responses to the fact that she’s a trans woman range from frosty to scabrous and even hostile. It seems love and cohabitation count for little and Marina must fight for her rights, her home and even custody of her dog, while the police only offer a new set of humiliations.
Director Sebastián Lelio’s Gloria gave us the ultimate free-spirited 50-something woman. Now, working with filmmaker-producers Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann) and Pablo Larraín (Jackie), Lelio proves himself a successor to Almodóvar as an explorer of female-centred, emotionally intelligent terrain, which also celebrates the tender and downright sexy relationship that Marina and Orlando shared. Marina, thanks to Vega’s absolute knockout performance, is a vision of resistance: making her defiant way through the aftermath, battling transphobia and getting shit done.
strong language, discriminatory behaviour
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