My name is Marina Vidal. Do you have any problem with that?
Overview
Marina's life is thrown into turmoil following the death of her partner. Mourning the loss of the man she loved, she finds herself under intense scrutiny from those with no regard for her privacy.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.0/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.71/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 81
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Sebastián Lelio
Production
Komplizen Film, Participant, Fabula, Muchas Gracias, Setembro Cine
Cast
Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Küppenheim, Nicolás Saavedra, Amparo Noguera, Néstor Cantillana, Alejandro Goic, Antonia Zegers, Marcial Tagle, Cristián Chaparro, Diana Cassis, Eduardo Paxeco, Roberto Farías, Pablo Cerda, José Antonio Raffo, Erto Pantoja, Trinidad González, Sergio Hernández, Paola Lattus
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, emotionally bruising drama anchored by Daniela Vega’s magnetic performance, with moments of surreal grace amid a sustained portrait of grief, dignity, and public cruelty. It’s strongest as a character study of resilience under scrutiny, though some viewers find its perspective limited or its suffering-heavy structure frustrating.
Best for
viewers seeking serious social drama
fans of trans-led or LGBTQ+ cinema
people drawn to grief narratives and emotional endurance
audiences who like polished art-house realism with occasional surreal touches
Skip if
you want a light or uplifting watch
you’re sensitive to sustained humiliation and institutional cruelty
you prefer stories centered on community warmth over isolation
you’re looking for a fully expansive trans perspective rather than a cis-directed drama
Overview
A Fantastic Woman is a compact but forceful drama about grief turned into a public battleground. Sebastián Lelio stages Marina’s ordeal with a mix of realism and stylized flourishes, letting the city feel indifferent, invasive, and at times almost hostile to her existence. The film’s power comes less from plot than from accumulation: each encounter tightens the vise around Marina’s sense of self.
Worth noting
Daniela Vega gives the film its center of gravity. Her performance is poised, wounded, and quietly defiant, carrying scenes that might otherwise feel schematic. The movie also finds room for brief, startling moments of beauty and release, which makes the surrounding cruelty hit harder.
Bottom line
Still, the film has drawn criticism for how it frames trans suffering, and that tension is part of its legacy. As a work of social drama, it is effective and often moving; as a representation of trans life, it can feel constrained by the gaze behind it. Even so, it remains a significant, widely seen film with real emotional force.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Maggie X (0.5★) · 1137 likes
My thoughts are all fragmented. I just know that I'm seething with rage. And my stomach is turning because I can already see the utter indifference my rage will be met with. I could spend time arguing, presenting my case in the most cogent and comprehensive way imaginable, and still, my argument would pass through the insensate heads of the cis audience that received this film so ecstatically. It makes me not want to engage. In fact, I never want… more My thoughts are all fragmented. I just know that I'm seething with rage. And my stomach is turning because I can already see the utter indifference my rage will be met with. I could spend time arguing, presenting my case in the most cogent and comprehensive way imaginable, and still, my argument would pass through the insensate heads of the cis audience that received this film so ecstatically. It makes me not want to engage. In fact, I never want… more
Marian (4.5★) · 658 likes
i think every movie should have a dance break featuring puffy tinsel jackets and surrealism
CinemaVoid 🏴☠️ (2.5★) · 625 likes
A good movie about transphobia but not a movie about trans people.
Willow Maclay (2★) · 302 likes
For Nashville City Scenewww.nashvillescene.com/arts-culture/film/article/20993129/a-fantastic-woman-fails-to-reckon-with-its-transgender-lead
"Chilean director Sebastian Lelio’s newest feature, A Fantastic Woman, has received recognition and buzz, earning nominations from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and the LGBT critics association GALECA’s Dorian Awards. Even so, the film fails to understand or grapple with its transfeminine subject matter beyond a superficial level.
A Fantastic Woman follows transgender woman Marina (played by Chilean trans actress Daniela Vega) as she struggles to deal with societal hatred after the death of her… more
Ruksana April Faraon 🌻 (2★) · 263 likes
I'm sorry to be uncharitable, but I'm just so tired of this story. I'm tired of cis directors who think they're being sympathetic to trans women, but are really just fetishizing their suffering. I'm tired of narratives that are just relentless gauntlets of abuse. It makes my spirit sick.
It was still very powerful to see Daniela Vega, a trans woman, anchoring a polished and much-discussed independent film with grace and gravity. But I felt strongly that her performance deserved a better film, one that celebrates her humanity instead of merely gawking at the things she endures.