Woman of... (2023); Directed by Michal Englert and Malgorzata Szumowska;132 minutes; With: Malgorzata Hajewska, Joanna Kulig, Mateusz Wieclawek, Bogumila Bajor
Woman of.... is a co-production of two experienced Polish hands in the field: Magorzata Szumowska (1973, nominated at a number of major festivals for various films) and Michael Englert (1975, originally a cinematographer but now also director of various productions). They are the heirs of a great Polish film history in which often pressing social themes are addressed. Woman of.... is no exception. Aniela Wesoly (Malgorzata Hajewska) was born Andrzej and turns out to be in the wrong body as a man. This fact is intelligently announced at various points in the film, but only halfway through the film does it become clear that Aniela wants to become the woman she already is. In the very first image of Woman of.... it becomes clear to the good listener that the blond curls of the young man going up for his first Holy Communion are a reference to the theme of the film. Despite this latent fact, young Andrzej develops as a normal boy with normal boy things. He marries Iza (fantastically played by multi-talented Joanna Kulig) and the couple has children. In the film, the flashbacks are marked by the year the flashback goes to. The story jumps back and forth somewhat, so you need to pay attention. Around the age of 18, Aniela must appear for the medical examination for military service (1980), where it will turn out that her painted toenails will keep her out of service. From that moment on, Aniela's interest in herself increases and we increasingly see Aniela's secret glances at herself and where she tries to introduce herself as a woman. Despite the 'normal' life she seems to lead, the realization that she is in the wrong body increases and takes on an increasingly larger role in Woman of.... This realization is the cause of the distance between Aniela and her wife and her family. All this happens in a turbulent social context. The fall of the Wall, the creation of Solidarnosc around 1980, accession to the European Union in 2004 and all other political changes in post-1986 Poland. What does not change in Poland is the power of the conservative parties and the Catholic Church . Aniela's journey to officially change gender is littered with obstacles, prejudices and opposition. Woman of.... It is not without reason that it is dedicated to everyone in the LGBTQ community and their loved ones. In order to change gender, she must divorce Iza and take her parents to court. Ultimately, the break with Iza becomes final and Aniela has to stand on her own two feet: find housing, new relationship, new job because she is fired because of her gender quest. There are just so many side paths in Woman of.... that are accessed and elaborated. It produces good cinema and the acting in the film is of very high quality and sometimes even phenomenal. The camera work is also of very high quality. The film lasts over two hours, which is a bit on the long side. Not every side path needs to be taken and sometimes it also distracts from the main theme. The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion (2023) at the Venice Film Festival (as well as the Queer Lion). Woman of.... makes it clear that life in Poland as a transgender is not easy and portrays this beautifully.
Ton IJlstra
Rating: 4
Release May 2, 2024.
