A Fantastic Woman

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. - dbamateurcritic

I don't always check out Academy Award nominated foreign films unless they really grab my attention (nothing personal, just time constraints with what I watch). A Fantastic Woman recently opened in the city and I decided to check it out. Didn't know a whole lot going in but I was excited nonetheless. After viewing the film I'll say while its not perfect and seems to get lost at stages as it goes along its still an effort that speaks towards today's issues and a film with a fine central performance from a newcomer.

The film is about a transgender woman who recently experiences the loss of her lover after he experiences his seizure. She is not able to grieve and attend the funeral properly because his family are embarrassed by her (because she's transgender) and even resort to verbally and physically attacking her. The film also shows how difficult her life is as she tries to find peace and solace in the death of her lover. The film was submitted from Chile.

Daniela Vega is very impressive for a newcomer. Her performance is powerful. She has to stand up against oppression and is unnerved as she does it. She's quite a great and complex character and has to carry the film. A Fantastic Woman is a thin work otherwise. Its interesting because it touches on discrimination against LGBTQ, which is still a problem in the world today. I do feel like the film builds very slowly throughout and doesn't quite achieve its potential.

The film is actually fairly safe compared to other films that deal with discrimination and hate. Other's might feel more positive about the film than I do. Daniela Vega has a future and will likely be in other foreign (or even local) work. I do have a mind to check out some of the other foreign nominees this year but I might just in the end check out the winner instead. Who knows, could be this one.

6.5/10

It's hard to even talk about LGBT matters in a country like Chile, so is exactly right there the significance of Sebastian Lelio's work. The characterizations are so well performed by the actors and actresses, that you can feel the anger and frustration of Marina, the love that Orlando feels for her, the everyday struggle of Marina in a society that rejects her sexuality, the hate from Orlando's family, etc.

Is necessary a movie like this, is necessary a more open-mind society, is necessary to stop discrimination, is necessary to stop the hate.

A fantastic woman, is ready to show the audience that there is no differences between a transgender person and a heterosexual one, the strong main character of Marina, will make you feel her never-ending fight to gain some respect, and how bad we, as society, make her feel.

Thanks to Sebastian Lelio for bring this taboo to the light. Excellent work.

A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantastica) (2017) -

I was totally surprised that I enjoyed this film as much as I did. I must confess that I don't fully understand Transgender people, because how could I?

I'm not trans and apart from the fact that a pair of heels make my calves look fantastic, my days of dressing up as the opposite sex for birthdays and new years are behind me. I would also want a man to fancy me as a man and not because I looked quite good as Marilyn Monroe that one time.

But what this film did was to try to express how it must feel for those Transgender Sisters and Brothers out there all over the world.

I couldn't help but feel the pain that the lead character of Marina (Daniela Vega) was going through, because the performances and direction of this production were so well done.

The persecution was horrifying to watch and some of the actions of the family were so hideous that they actually made me feel nauseous to watch them. It was easy to believe that those things have happened and a lot worse too for sure.

I thought that Daniela Vega did very well in her role, having not acted before. If it hadn't been for the uncertainty of how she delivered her lines, because I didn't understand the language, I would say that she was made for the part.

She really lead the film and definitely had a presence that took me through those hard days with her.

I also liked the occasional surreal moments that were dotted throughout as well. And I liked that the key she found didn't do what was expected.

The soundtrack could perhaps have had a bit more light and dark to it though. It was all very somber, which made it a tiny bit drippy at times. Something upbeat for the happier times would have given it a bit more balance.

Overall, the message was clear and the story driven and laid out with finesse and power. Everyone struggles to cope with the loss of a loved one, but this film showed what can happen to some who are still yet to be legally defined as even common law partners, as well as the vindictive way that people can behave when there are pride and material things at stake via inheritance. A powerful story that kept me gripped

827.82/1000.

The transgender heroine is a wonderfully complex, defiant and passionate character. One who keeps her poise and dignity in the most trying of circumstances.

She endures every kind of humiliation imaginable. And regardless of the story's sexual politics, Marina is the type of heroine that any audience will root for. Lelio conveys her courage and endurance to have her right to mourn for the man she loved. And to express her own independence.