A small Polish town. A quick, young love. Wedding, child, picture book. And then: a slow hesitation. A slow hesitation that becomes a realization. A slow admission. A slow sharing. A slow acceptance. A slow standing up for yourself.
In “Woman of…” the story of the trans woman Aniela, who has spent half her life as a man, is told over a period of forty years. We experience both small and large steps in her transition. Secretly trying on high heels. Crying at doctor’s appointments. The mistrust in her own home. The reaction of relatives. The looks on the street.
The subtlety with which the ups and downs of Aniela’s journey are told is touching. It becomes clear that subtlety can also be thought-provoking. The film team of “Woman of…” was also strongly confronted with the situation regarding the LGBTQ+ community in Poland. According to ILGA Europe, Poland is the most homophobic and the most transphobic country in the EU. It was therefore important for the filmmakers to pay attention to the topic, while at the same time handling it carefully in order to protect the actors and participants.
At eye level and with a great focus on details, we travel through time through Poland, through a small town that seems to have remained the same for over 40 years. The premiere and first broadcast in Switzerland of “Woman of…” is tomorrow, Thursday, September 5th at 6 p.m., in the Stattkino.
