A Fantastic Woman (2018)

Pretty Good

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Un personaje hermoso-digna, poderosa e inolvidable

Marina Vidal (Daniela Vega) is a transgender woman and aspiring singer in her twenties and living in Santiago, Chile. After the death of her lover, a man in his fifties with an ex-wife and an adult son, Marina is left alone in dealing with her grief and the aftermath of the death.In addition to the burden of grief, Marina must also deal with humiliating and prejudicial situations around her transgender status. She subtly shows an attitude of "I hate having to go through this again but I can." Interestingly, her transgender status is used to her advantage in a later scene in the film.Vega is in nearly every scene of the film and must carry it on her shoulders. She does the job superbly. She ably conveys awkwardness and vulnerability as her character attempts to maintain what is rightfully hers while being aware that many battles may not be won.Much of the film follows Marina as she journeys through the city's urban atmosphere to numb her pain. The last quarter of the film takes a different twist that is less interesting than what precedes it. But "A Fantastic Woman" is a good film overall mainly due to the subtle skills of its lead performer.

"Una Mujer Fantástica" or "A Fantastic Woman" is a collaboration of 4 countries that resulted in this 2017 105-minute film in the Spanish language. Here we have this year's Best Foreign Language Film winner for Chile. It is the second time for the country to be nominated (after No) and the first time it took home the glory. For writer and director Sebastián Lelio it was the second time too that one of his works was submitted and he triumphed this time after Gloria came short half a decade ago. I personally must say I prefer Gloria though, but Lelio seems to have a good touch for female centered movies struggling with lobve from one perspective or the other. But of course, it is not surprising really that liberal Hollywood would really appreciate a film that has a transgender character in almost every scene. Lead actress Dani Vega is also transgender in real life, which added additional spice and bait to the film's awards ambitions. But in all fairness, she did a good job here most of the time and it is also a well-written movie. The young woman has a love relationship with a far older man who dies surprisingly early on after he seemed like the initial protagonist of the film and the rest of the movie is basically Vega's character struggling with getting her fair share of mourning when she is chased away by the dead man's family from the requiem and they made more than clear that they don't want her at the funeral either. In addition, there is struggling about who gets what and most of the focus there is on a canine. The film is packed with examples of discrimination, some more severe and even violently physical, others more subtle. One interesting thing is how everybody perceived the protagonist differently. Some don't see her as a woman at all, but as a chimera while others see her as a woman and this does not only include her lover's family, but also doctors, police officers and her own family. The good news here is that the film really does feel authentic and realistic from start to finish. I never had the impression that I was watching actors play parts. One interesting scene was when she unleashes her anger on top of the car and really becomes the beast to some extent that the people inside the car (2 out of 3 at least) see in her. I also liked the fighter references with these brief punching ball moments somewhat defining the character's inner strength and willpower. There weren't many moment that I did not like. One would be that she actually randomly comes across another guy with the same key which was too big of a coincidence for me and the key scene at the end also I am not sure if I liked it or not. It was somewhat realistic, but also a bit of a letdown given the build-up there with regards to the emptiness eventually. The music and singing element, as beautiful as her voice may be, felt rushed in and pointless most of the time, even if I can see the impact how everybody sees her on stage as an actual woman. Still a nice reference to how art and music may overcome all boundaries. And come on, the natural woman song in the radio may have been a bit too much. Still all in all, the positive outweighs the negative and while I think the Oscar is maybe a bit too much (I sure would have preferred it going to Gloria), I definitely think watching this one is not by any means a waste of time. i give this fantastic woman a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out.

I had expected 'The Square' to win the foreign language Oscar, and I had hoped 'On Body and Soul' would take home the award. I was wrong. Instead of the urgency of the former or the poetry of the latter, the jury chose the delicacy of 'Una Mujer Fantástica'. Probably, the choice has been as much inspired by the subject of the film as by the cinematographic quality of it. 'Una Mujer Fantástica' is a plea for mutual understanding, tolerance and kindness. And at the same time a condemnation of bigotry, prejudice and brutality. It can't be seen without having to think about the wave of intolerance against all kinds of minorities currently sweeping western societies. The fantastic woman who has given the film its title, is Marina Vidal, a woman in her twenties who is dating a businessman about twice her age. In spite of the age difference, they seem to be happy with each other. But it's not so much the age difference that is remarkable. Marina is a woman who has been a man before. In the first part of the film, this is not an issue at all. It's only after her lover suddenly dies, that Marina's gender becomes something peculiar. The medical staff, the police and, above all, her lover's relatives treat her with utmost distrust and suspicion. They won't even let her grieve, or attend the funeral. The film shows how Marina suffers from the way she is treated, and how she refuses to give in. She remains her proud self, and in the end gets what she wants: a decent goodbye to her deceased lover. The film doesn't fall into the trap of making the whole thing too sentimental. The director registers the events, with a certain amount of compassion, but without making a tearjerker of it. This is not a groundbreaking movie. But 'Una Mujer Fantástica' is without any doubt a well-written, well-directed and well-acted drama, with an underlying message that's hard not to agree with.