“A Fantastic Woman”

The Best Foreign Film winner of 2017 has three beautiful scenes and terrific acting. “ A Fantastic Woman” also has some missteps. For much of the film our protagonist is shouldering grief against the wind of prejudice. One of the best frames shows this by having Marina ( beautifully portrayed by Daniela Vega) drop her head and bend into the wind in order to keep up-right. It is a beautiful metaphor visually wrought. I dubbed it “the wind walk”. While the film draws sympathy and addresses the concept and definition of  normality, it also overdoes transgender disco stroblight scenes. And the sound track of “ You make me feel like a natural woman” seems ironically funny more than romantic.

”Una Mujer Fantastica” is directed by Sebastian Leilo. It is a Chilean film that has haunting visuals and teems with the glow of life. We begin with images of the South America wonder of the world, the Iguazu Falls. Legend has it that a beautiful woman fled with her lover here and the gods punished the lovers with an eternal fall. The fall here is down a series of apartment steps that leave bruises and contusions on Marina’s lover, Orlando. Enough physical evidence that a doctor calls the police since he suspects foul play. The subsequent police station examination of Marina by the sexual offense unit is hard to watch. Grief is denied and criminal intent is seen as truth.

Cultural touchstones are as apparent as the prejudice. Orlando ex-wife Sonia tells Marina, “When I look at you I don’t know what I am seeing~a chimera.” She forbids her from attending Orlando’s funeral service. She wants to protect her seven -year-old daughter and herself from embarrassing questions. Orlando’s son shares in Sonia’s perversion cries. He threatens with, “If you steal anything, I’ll know.” Everywhere the love Marina and Orlando shared is made tawdry and debased. When Marina is assaulted by Orlando’s son and his  buddies, we are shocked by the violence. As a counter weight we are given St. Francis’s “make me an instrument of your peace, a channel for your love” while Marina’s voice teacher, his sister as his brother-in-law offer Marina a respite.

Walking is what Marina does throughout the film. The walk through the spa from male to female section is haunting and symbolically touching. The one item of masculinity-that clunky gold  watch bothered me, as did the show of rage when Marina drove for a car’s windshield and then stomped on its roof. I wanted her dignity to remain long-suffering and noble. Like one character said, “being with you is complicated-like quantum physics”, yet this film does its best to keep it simply about love.