OVP: A Fantastic Woman (2017)

Film: A Fantastic Woman (2017)

Stars: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes

Director: Sebastian Leilo

Oscar History: 1 nomination/1 win (Best Foreign Language Film-Chile*)

Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

Film is a strange medium, because unlike other artistic venues, it is an intrinsically collaborative medium. Painters can paint by themselves, musicians can write a song by themselves, but a narrative, feature-length film-you're going to need other people.  Actors, directors, costume designers, editors...all of these men & women add up to the people responsible for a particular feature.  As a result, you frequently end up with a movie that is simply in the middle because of the sum-of-its-parts.  Very few films are, say, Chinatown or The Third Man where basically everything is running on full cylinders.  I was struck by this sentiment while watching A Fantastic Woman for the first time yesterday, understanding that while certain elements of the movie were truly exceptional, other parts are middling, and didn't resonate as a cohesive film.

(Spoilers Ahead) A Fantastic Woman is about Marina (Vega), a young transgender singer who works in Santiago.  She is being romanced by her older boyfriend Orlando (Reyes), with whom she's recently moved in.  On her birthday, they are making love and he starts to feel dizzy.  Marina is ready to take him to the hospital, but in the process, he falls down the stairs.  This leads to a brain aneurysm, which he dies from in the hospital.  Orlando's death sets off a chain reaction, specifically toward Orlando's family, including his son and ex-wife, both of whom do not understand his relationship with Marina.  This is compounded not just because they refuse to let Marina take part in their grieving process, but also because there is a detective harassing Marina because of the injuries Orlando has sustained, but more so trying to understand Marina herself (and if she was being exploited by Orlando).  The film ends with Marina finally saying goodbye to Orlando, albeit by herself, and starting the next chapter of her life after her love.

A Fantastic Woman won the Oscar, and it's easy to see why.  The film talks about a major civil rights issue, though not in an overtly social issue way (this film, despite many detours into stereotypical treatment of transgender people onscreen that occasionally borders on the exploitive, particularly a scene where Marina is photographed naked to prove her innocence in the death of Orlando, doesn't feel like an obvious "social rights" film), and features a truly great central performance.  The best part of A Fantastic Woman is Vega's work.  She's extraordinarily subdued, playing all of her emotions with calculation.  Look at the way she lets down (most) of her guard with Orlando, and how that guard is up for virtually the rest of the film, save for a couple of scenes with her sister.  There's an informed reality in her actions that I really enjoyed-it felt authentic to her experience & personality that she was such a guarded figure, even if she's full of caring & life in the scenes with Orlando.

But the movie never really rises to meet her.  None of the other actors in the film approach what Vega is up to, oftentimes playing cookie cutter villains that feel like they're from a queer film in the 1990's.  Orlando also remains virtually unknowable, which feels like a mistake-we want to understand Marina's relationship with him better, what it is she saw in him.  The film feels a little icky in that they're trying to constantly uncover what he saw in her, when if she was cisgendered we wouldn't even think twice about it-she's a beautiful, vivacious young woman...what's not to like?  The film frequently relies heavily on mood over plot, and normally I'm about that, but the mood never quite captures the spirit of Orlando's relationship with Marina, which is essential for making the film work.  As a result I can merely admire, rather than love, this picture though Vega is excellent and I wish she'd find additional work worthy of her, as a performance like this should warrant more cinematic opportunities.