Starring a committed actress, Daniela Vega, as a transgender woman Marina like she is in reality, following her partner’s Orlando death, has to face up to endless horrific discrimination. And as a 2018 Chilean drama, the subject matter feels particularly relevant in the universal midst of MeToo and such issues.
The director Sebastian Lelio however, doesn’t try and make a point of shoving the transgender discourse in front of us. He trusts us to follow Marina’s journey naturally, so only when it’s required is her sexuality addressed. All the same, a weakness makes itself known where as the film proceeds, we experience repetition. Partly from fantastical artistic touches taking us deeper into her perspective, which is fine, but wind up becoming a bit old at some point.
But at the end of the day, though the film’s not flawlessly structured, you never doubt the integrity. So I encourage you to watch this, it’s both relevant for today and universal.
Mad About Movies 