A FANTASTIC WOMAN IS TRULY INCREDIBLE

By Sara Darling

EXCITING, MYSTERIOUS, GRIPPING- JUST WHAT YOU WANT FROM A MOVIE! 
A Fantastic Woman has it all....

If you’re looking for a feel good movie to give you faith in humanity, this might not be the movie for you. However if you love a gritty, emotional drama which exposes fragility and the fickleness of stereotypes, you will be glued.
A Fantastic Woman is truly about a fantastic woman; Starring newcomer  Daniela Vega, the film boasts a grand title which goes one step further than what you might expect to follow...

The film immediately opens with  the relationship of middle aged Orlando (Francisco Reyes) and young, attractive nightclub singer Marina Vidal, who demonstrate an intimate relationship; We witness the couple celebrating Marinas birthday and flagrantly kissing in public, which culminates in sex at the home that Marina has just moved into.
However, moments after that, Orlando suffers a fatal aneurysm and dies in hospital. As the last person to have been with him, Marina is treated with suspicion and contempt by the authorities, and no regard is given to her privacy or grief.

If you weren’t already aware with the subtle suggestions, Marina is a transgender woman, which is something that Orlando's family have tried to erase from their consciousness. The fact that he was old enough to be her father, never mind that there is ignorance to the workings of a trans woman’s body, makes her appalling to the family and police. Placed under intense scrutiny, Marina does her best to regain her dignity and fight back .
With tensions rising, the vulture’s of Orlando’s family come and evict her from their shared home and she is banned from attending his funeral, things do not look good for Marina. However, she throws herself into work as a waitress, where she is objectified as a woman.

Facing contempt from every angle, she is victimised and chased by family members who try to disfigure her, which actually shows their own insecurities. And all the way through, there is no doubt that Marina is a strong woman who is able to survive the bigotry and hostility that is dealt to her.
This film celebrates a humane story about a trans woman’s fight for acceptance and is a must see to reaffirm, that you don't have to be born a woman to be a fantastic one.