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References Dvostruki Veronikin život (1991)

Tale

Adam tries to be a good husband and father in a small town in Poland. But Adam feels increasingly uncomfortable in his body, which does not reflect his true identity. Woman of... (2023); Director: Michal Englert and Malgorzata Szumowska; 132 minutes; With: Malgorzata Hajewska, Joanna Kulig, Mateusz Wieclawek, Bogumila BajorWoman of.... is a co-production of two experienced Polish talents in the field: Magorzata Szumowska (1973, nominated for various films at several major festivals) and Michael Englert ( 1975, originally a cinematographer, now also a director of various productions). They are the heirs to a great Polish film history, which often deals with pressing social issues. Woman of...

is no exception

Aniela Wesoly (Malgorzata Hajewska) was born Andrzej and turns out to be a man in the wrong body. This fact is intelligently announced at various points in the film, but it is not until halfway through the film that it becomes clear that Aniela wants to become the woman she already is. Already in the very first frame of Woman of... it becomes clear to the attentive listener that the blond curls of the young man going to his first communion are an allusion to the film's theme. Despite this latent fact, young Andrzej develops into a normal boy with normal boy things. He marries Iza (fantastically played by the multi-talented beauty Joanna Kulig) and the couple has children. In the film, the flashbacks are marked by the year the flashback goes to.

All this takes place in a turbulent social context

The story jumps back and forth a bit, so you have to pay attention. At around 18, Aniela has to go for a medical examination for military service (1980), where it will turn out that her painted toenails will keep her from serving. From that moment on, Aniela's interest in herself increases and we increasingly see Aniela's secret glances at herself and how she tries to imagine herself as a woman. Despite the 'normal' life she seems to lead, she becomes aware that she is in the wrong body and takes on an increasingly larger role in "Woman of ..." This realization is the cause of the distance between Aniela and her wife and family. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the founding of Solidarity around 1980, the accession to the European Union in 2004 and all the other political changes in Poland after 1986. What does not change in Poland is the power of the conservative parties and the Catholic Church . Aniela's path to official gender reassignment is littered with obstacles, prejudices and resistance.

that are entered and worked out

"Woman of ..." is not without reason dedicated to all members of the LGBTQ community and their relatives. To change her gender, she has to divorce Iza and sue her parents. Ultimately, the break with Iza becomes final and Aniela has to stand on her own two feet: find an apartment, a new relationship, a new job because she is fired because of her gender search. There are just so many side paths in Woman of... Good cinema emerges and the acting in the film is of very high quality and sometimes even phenomenal. The camera work is also of very high quality. The film lasts over two hours, which is a bit long.

Ton IJlstraRating: 4Release date May 2, 2024

Not every side path needs to be taken and sometimes it also distracts from the main theme. The film has been selected to compete for the Golden Lion (2023) at the Venice Film Festival (as well as the Queer Lion). Woman of.... makes it clear that life in Poland as a transgender is not easy and portrays this beautifully.