A Fantastic Woman

Marina, a young waitress who moonlights as an opera singer, witnesses her much-older boyfriend Orlando having a fatal aneurism. Afterwards, she must divide his possessions with the greedy ex-wife and children he left behind—all while navigating their hateful mistreatment due her transgender identity. Haunted by the visible memory of Orlando, Marina aims to win back their dog Diabla, and ideally some respect as well. A Fantastic Woman portrays one woman’s persistence to get what she deserves, despite the vicious verbal and physical abuse that seems to follow her.

This slow-paced drama, punctuated with surreal visions of Marina’s lost love, is the next installment of strong female-oriented stories from director Sebastián Lelio. His previous film Gloria, a comedy about a Chilean divorcee hitting the singles unit, met critical acclaim, and A Fantastic Woman picked up several awards at this year's Berlinale, including the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.

As Lelio stated at the event, “We have to fight the dark ages with beauty, elegance, and poetry.” A Fantastic Woman fights this fight with vigor and the graceful melody of Marina’s music. This story expertly shows parallel struggles of identity, transphobia, and saying goodbye to a loved one. Lelio’s film will leave an audience member considering their own struggles, and how to summon the resilience to overcome them. Alex Heller

Sebastián Lelio (b. 1974) was born in Argentina, but has made his career in Chile as a film director, screenwriter, producer and editor. He has studied journalism and film, and has directed several short films and music videos in addition to seven feature films. This fall also sees the premiere of Disobedience, his first feature produced in the U.S. As noted by IndieWire, “Lelio has already established himself as a compassionate chronicler of women”.