As a film critic who has spent years navigating the cinematic landscape, I have to say that “Thesis on a Domestication” is a breath of fresh air. Having witnessed countless films that shy away from authentic representations of marginalized communities, it’s refreshing to see a project that not only embraces but celebrates trans narratives.
In the exclusive sneak peek of director Javier Van de Couter’s new work titled “Thesis on Domestication” (“Tesis sobre una domesticación”), we see a fascinating blend of peaceful home life, thriving professions, hidden past wounds, and sensual exploration. This is all captured in the trailer for his latest endeavor, shared with EbMaster.
Supported by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna‘s ambitious Mexican production company La Corriente del Golfo, the film will contend for the Q Hugo Award. It will premiere worldwide as it is featured in the Outlook program focused on LGBTQ+ themes at the Chicago International Film Festival, taking place from October 16th to 27th. Following this, it will proceed to Morelia.
In Buenos Aires, Laura Huberman (known for “El perro que no calla”), Ramiro Pavón from Oh My Gomez! Films (“El perfecto David”), Van de Couter and Lorena Cándano de la Peza of La Corriente del Golfo, along with Mónica Pérez and Kyzza Terrazas, are collaborating on this project. They produce alongside Bernal and Luna, consistently championing audacious narratives that expand the body of daring Latin cinema.
The story is derived from a yet-to-be-released novel by the esteemed author Camila Sosa Villada, which will be published in English by Riverhead Books in 2026. Previously, her work “Las Malas” received recognition from FIL Guadalajara’s Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Award, Barcelona’s Finestres de Narrativa, and Paris’ L’Héroïne Madame Figaro.
Sosa Villada, Van de Couter, and Huberman collaborated on writing the screenplay that narrates the journey of a renowned trans actress as she strides towards a prosperous future while her past, like lingering embers, subtly molds her in numerous ways. This transformation, spanning over three years, was embodied by Sosa Villada herself, who portrayed a character rich in self-determination.
Working with Camila was an honor for Laura and me, particularly since the transformation from book to movie kept us mindful that it’s a tale created by a transgender author about another transgender character. This made the story feel incredibly genuine and challenging within the realm of cinema,” Van de Couter shared with EbMaster.
He noted that it was crucial to retain the novel’s essence: its vibrancy, intricacies, poetic, sensual, and enigmatic qualities. The film, however, presents a more detached perspective through its scenes, contrasting the intimate, third-person narrative of the book.
Previously, Van de Couter and Sosa Villada collaborated when he chose her for a pivotal role in his first movie, “Mía,” which was released in 2011. This film garnered accolades for Best Feature at the Guadalajara International Film Festival and Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and also won the Jury Prize at Chéries-Chéris.
In a contrasting role, Sosa Villada’s smooth and reliable romantic partner is an attorney from Mexico, portrayed by Alfonso Herrera, a regular cast member of Ozark. His unwavering consistency stirs up her reserve, and as they venture deeper into monogamy, steering towards parenthood, the tension escalates due to compromises.
Scenes of celebration, public adoration, seduction and romance mingle in the film’s tease – as its lead traverses a thorny yet exhilarating path toward self-acceptance. Glimpses of past traumas and ongoing tribulations are thrown into balance the full breadth of a character striving to solidify her dominion. The film combines two oft-inharmonious worlds – one of matrimony, motherhood and the responsibilities of a vast career, the other a sharply contrasting, carefree life of untethered personal expression. The luxe urban trappings of Buenos Aires and the vast, vivid mountain landscapes of her rural hometown serve as conflicting backdrops.
Van de Couter describes the main character’s actions as a struggle to harmonize seemingly conflicting parts of her life. As an audience, we witness these choices, many of which involve preserving her unique, untamed spirit that domesticity appears to endanger. Her unconventional lifestyle, earned through her talent, also diverges from the expected narrative and what seems like a predestined fate for trans individuals.
This thought-provoking essay titled “Thesis on Domestication” explores what truly fulfills us as individuals, while suggesting that staying authentic is the ultimate act of resistance against conformity. It encourages embracing all aspects of our trans experience – the pain, the joy, the struggles, and the triumphs – without apology or compromise.
Van de Couter explained that films focusing on queer themes are frequently anticipated to be celebratory, and when they deliver on this anticipation, they can be quite alluring. In facing stigmas and prejudices, our queer community employs fantasy and joy as means of survival, and this sense of joy often permeates the screen,” (paraphrased)
It’s crucial to have a cinema that portrays the lives of trans individuals in an authentic way, not just focusing on their compassion, scandals, or marginalization. Instead, we need a cinema that honestly depicts these experiences. When a transgender person appears on screen, it evokes a captivating, moving, and distinctive response from the audience that always brings me happiness,” he continued.
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2024-10-16 21:17