//Disclaimer: This is a 2000+ word essay. You have been warned.
Once again, I feel obligated to give my two cents on trans* representation, and in this case, explain why the movie Emilia PΓ©rez is not the celebration of trans* identities that some cis people might perceive it to be. I would like to quote Lily Kazimiera, who aptly summed up the situation I find myself in, because I too felt like I had to see this movie - evenβ¦
It is no secret that no other genre encapsulates the horrors of gender dysphoria and the trans* experience as well as body horror. Cronenberg immediately comes to mind when writing about body horror, but none of his films hit anywhere near as close to home as The Substance. This is because The Substance juxtaposes its dysphoria with body euphoria. Fargeat poignantly encapsulates the swings of self-perception: One day you feel like a gorgeous Barbie doll princess, and the next youβ¦
What a phenomenal adventure movie! Despite being a blatant rip-off of Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible & co., it is delightful to watch Cage solve the Da Vinci Code. Diane Kruger's Abigail on the other hand is poorly written, leaving much to be desired. In addition, the way the movie and its characters obsess over, and to some extent idealize, America's colonial history and the Founding Fathers (aka a bunch of slave owners and occupiers) is rather problematic. Especially in today's climate,β¦
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Why can't women in films fight oppression and sexism without being raped?
I really liked how the film parallels her fight against the bulls with her fight against sexism. But the film doesn't add anything new to the conversation. Once again we have a woman fighting against a macho community. Her transformation doesn't change much either. Instead, her rape is used as a kind of plot twist and to "legitimise" the death of these machos. Rape is not a plot device! Why is her rage, anger, and frustration not enough?
I am shocked at how unaffected I was by this film. I love Florence Pugh, I like Andrew Garfield, and I love televised cooking competitions - yet this didn't work for me. Only two scenes in the whole film stood out for me: A certain phenomenal scene at the petrol station and a heated discussion between the two about achievement and legacy. Great acting in both scenes! But apart from that, this film wasn't for me and didn't affect meβ¦
