A piercing character study about identity, empowerment, and mutual respect, Sebastián Lelio's A Fantastic Woman is the story of Marina, a transgender woman, who finds her whole life thrown into a state of uncertainty after the untimely death of her lover, Orlando. In the wake of her companion's death, Marina quickly finds nearly every aspect of her life and relationship with Orlando under siege, with Orlando's ex-wife and son, among others, viewing this woman with disdain, and at times, even aggression, as they needle and probe Marina's whole existence, questioning her relationship with Orlando, her unconventional lifestyle, and even her right to mourn his death. Through Marina's struggle to pay respects to the man she grew to love, A Fantastic Woman showcases the attempts by Orlando's family to casually erase her from the equation, using her "unconventional" lifestyle as way to banish her. With Orlando deceased, his son and ex-wife no longer have to try to understand or comply with his choice of partner, which leads to their mentality rooted deeply in complete exile. Under the guise of civil conversation, and the need to keep things "within the family", Orlando's son and ex-wife aim to extinguish any connection between Marina and Orlando, unable to recognize that it's through their own fears and hate that they curse the name of their deceased father/ex-husband. Her being a transgender, grants them both the grotesque agency, to disavow entirely. Through Marina's struggle to deal with Orlando's death and her fight to be able to say goodbye through the same traditional channels as everyone else, A Fantastic Women provides astute observations on identity, demonstrating that one's own personal identity is not merely constructed from within but rather crafted, at least in part, by the shared experiences one has with others they value. Social interaction, whether romantic in nature or platonic, helps craft and shape individuals own psyches in various ways, and for Marina, Orlando was her strength, he empowered her due to viewing her in the way she wanted to be viewed, with his tragic and untimely passing leaving her in an emotional crises, alone again in a world which feels threatening to her. In a sense, it isn't too dramatic to say that Orlando was Marina's lifeline, a character, who due in part to his status as a successful business man, forced the world around him to value and respect her as an individual. At its core, A Fantastic Woman is a story of empowerment, following Marina as she slowly and surely finds her own agency after the death of the man who gave her so much support. Through her tumultuous fighting with Orlando's family, A Fantastic Woman reveals a woman who is finding her independence through her fight, a woman who is slowly forming her own identity through a combination of this individual struggle and her fond remembrance of Orlando, which constantly reinforces her choices and gives her strength. Sebastián Lelio's direction is stylish but never excessive, with the insertion of surrealist flourishes being paramount in visually expressing our main character's internal struggles, accentuating the underlying pain, fear, and longing associated with traumatic personal loss without cheapening the harrowing, grounded realism of Marina's struggle. Featuring a powerful lead performance from Daniela Vega, A Fantastic Woman is a powerful character study about one woman's struggle for respect and in turn personal empowerment in a society that hasn't quite caught up.
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June 2023
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