Review of A Fantastic Woman (2017) by Mike L — 04 Mar 2018

First of all, it's called A Fantastic Woman, not The Fantastic Woman. Not that that's out of the way, I can talk about how wonderfully made this feature is. You know when a foreign language performance is good, because you don't really want to read the subtitles, and that's something I can definitely say for Daniela Vega.

I love it when a feature is not afraid to be fantastical, and this film is definitely an example of that bravery. Each shot is incredibly photographic, and well planned out, with both its composition and what is actually in the frame.

The story was enthralling, oddly personal, and very intimate. That intimate feel is what makes good character studies great, they did it in Moonlight, and they succeed to the same degree in A Fantastic Woman.

The only thing that I can see firmly let it down was the score, which was very by the numbers, except for a few exceptional highlights. The use of a transgender person is used not as a gimmick, but rather as an instrument for uniqueness with the picture.

The fact that the actress was trans also helped, I think, with the naturalism of the performance. Colour, liquid, and names were all key symbols that Sebastián Lelio clearly wanted to explore, and he does so thoroughly, and to a wonderful degree.

Part thriller, part character study, and part drama, A Fantastic Woman is an amazing example of how foreign language cinema can be great, despite the barriers we often feel are put in place. I , also, really want to visit Santiago.