Identity politics and red tape get in the way of a woman’s right to say goodbye to her deceased lover in Sebastián Lelio’s Chilean drama. Winner of a Silver Bear for screenplay at Berlin and featuring a breakthrough performance by Daniela Vega, Lelio’s colourful film is brutally honest and unflinching.

The film opens with a powerful image of a waterfall. The shot of the raging water kicking up mist slowly dissolves to a shot of a men’s steam room bathed in red LED light. The sudden blast of colour as the light slowly changes from red to purple to blue is intoxicating. A middle aged man, Orlando, leaves the steam room and heads out to meet with his lover, Marina, (Vega) as she finishes her evening gig singing in a club. The two have a night of romance, dinner, drinks, sex, and then in the middle of the night Orlando wakes up feeling lightheaded. On their way out of the building he falls down the stairs. At the hospital, Marina is eventually informed that Orlando has died.

Marina is a transgender woman. The sudden tragedy ignites a series of events where we see her stripped of her basic human rights. The bulk of the film follows Marina as she is routinely questioned, examined and prevented from mourning the death of her lover. Orlando’s ex-wife and son treat her with disgust. They order her to leave Orlando’s apartment, taking away his dog, Diabla, which Marina claims Orlando had given to her. Marina is told in no uncertain terms that she is not to be at Orlando’s wake or funeral. The police harass Marina, asking invasive questions and forcing her to undergo an embarassing physical examination.

There have been a few films in recent years about Transgender characters. In Hollywood, you’re likely to see these characters played by men pretending to be women. Like 2015’s outstanding Tangerine, Lelio casts a talented trans actor in the lead role and the effect is personal and authentic. When a police officer refuses to refer to Marina by her name and instead calls her “Daniel,” you can see the pain it causes in Marina’s eyes. She doesn’t have to show us. It’s already there. It’s been there her whole life. Her brave, honest performance is a gift to those of us lucky to never have to deal with this kind of prejudice.

There is a scene later in the film where A Fantastic Woman appears to take a hard left turn, but the brutal scene is thankfully the beginning and ending of the physical violence in the film. Lelio reminds us of the danger that exists without having to sink to exploitation or sensation. The script does take some easy outs, but the focus remains on Marina and her against-all-odds grace as she navigates through her grief. Another image of her walking down a street into a powerful wind, she fights against it, but is eventually planted in place, leaning forward, it looks as if she might blow away, but she stands strong.

Lelio’s previous film Gloria was also a huge hit at VIFF a few years ago. The Chilean is releasing two films in 2017, the second in English under the title Disobedience.  His momentum and tasteful use of colour and magic realism in Fantastic Woman in the service of telling a simple character study, tells me that we are in for some interesting films in the future.