A Fantastic Woman

“My name is Marina Vidal. Do you have any problem with that?”

7.0

2017

1h 44m

Drama

Director: Sebastián Lelio

Overview

Marina's life is thrown into turmoil following the death of her partner. Mourning the loss of the man she loved, she finds herself under intense scrutiny from those with no regard for her privacy.

Trailer

Official Trailer Official

Cast

Marina Vidal

Daniela Vega

Marina Vidal

Orlando

Francisco Reyes

Orlando

Gabo

Luis Gnecco

Gabo

Sonia

Aline Küppenheim

Sonia

Bruno

Nicolás Saavedra

Bruno

Adriana

Amparo Noguera

Adriana

Gaston

Néstor Cantillana

Gaston

Doctor

Alejandro Goic

Doctor

Alessandra

Antonia Zegers

Alessandra

Orlando's older relative

Marcial Tagle

Orlando's older relative

Masseur

Cristián Chaparro

Masseur

Receptionist

Diana Cassis

Receptionist

Reviews

Crazypiglady

A very genuine and honest feeling film, It felt very natural even if uncomfortable in places. A slender plot but that wasn’t the point. The point was human interest, the characterisation and the vulnerability, strength and resilience of Marina in what was a very emotional story for her. Simply and convincingly delivered by the captivating performances of Reyes and particularly Daniela Vega who took this film to a higher plane. Lelio’s direction is beautiful, tenderly and sensitively executed. 8/10

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CinemaSerf

Without being in the least graphic nor particularly violent, this is still quite a harrowing watch. It’s all centred on the story of “Marina” (Daniela Vega). She’s a trans nightclub performer who just happens to be in a loving relationship with the older, and wealthier, “Orlando” (Francisco Reyes). They have a night of rough and tumble after celebrating her birthday but it turns out that his ticker isn’t so great and she ends up having to rush him to the hospital. Once there, the expected tragedy strikes them but believe it or not, that is just the start of her problems as the police begin to probe and question her explanation of events whilst his family take a view that she can just go to hell. Gradually, as she becomes more and more exposed to the thoughtless cruelty and loneliness - not to mention her own feelings of grief and despair - we begin to share in her hopelessness. There’s not so much original about the plot here, it’s a story that has been told in various guises many times before, but the effort from Vega is borderline visceral as her character finds herself almost under siege from an array of people she didn’t know but who chose not to believe that she could ever have loved “Orlando” or been loved by him in return. It’s a pretty scathing indictment of societal attitudes to trans people, certainly, but it’s also fairly brutal to those where there is an age gap, a wealth gap, indeed just about anyone who doesn’t conform to the norms. The police, here, are especially vicious but that’s due, as much as anything, to their unsympathetic indifference to her own plight. The production is not the best, it has to be said, and neither the editing nor the camerawork are anyone’s finest work, but the story has a truth to it that’s touching, infuriating and worth a watch.

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