Review of A Fantastic Woman (2017) by Fidel Antonio M — 11 Oct 2017
A young transgender woman suffers a tragic personal loss in this Chilean drama set in Santiago and the aftermath illustrates in no uncertain terms the hostility and discrimination she experiences in a society that still find her unacceptable and perverse.
While the film tries not to be over-melodramatic in its handling of events and not caricaturizes the people she is forced to deal with, there are still moments where I find the narrative perhaps too masochistic in its treatment of her predicament.
While the Hitchcockian score and a subplot sets up a mystery that intrigues, its resolution feels empty and unsatisfyingly too much of a MacGuffin. With no cathartic release in the plain and often painful to watch third act, I have never felt more in need of the Almodovar touch to lighten up the film's depressing dirge-like tone.
This is indubitably well made and performed, it's just a pity I find the narrative direction it takes short of fantastic.
This review of A Fantastic Woman (2017) was written by Fidel Antonio M on 11 Oct 2017.
A Fantastic Woman has generally received positive reviews.
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