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The Criterion Channel Presents: Señorita (2011)


Isabel Sandoval was not out as a trans woman when she wrote, directed, and starred in Señorita, her directorial debut, in 2011. But it played a big part in helping her realize she was trans. It’s a small Filipino drama film with shades of noir about a trans sex worker from Manila trying to carve out a new life for herself in the small town of Talisay by raising the son of an old friend now in Dubai (heavily implied to be her own), while aiding in the grassroots mayoral campaign of an enthusiastic, progressive politician who is ethical to a fault. There are complications hanging over from her old life, but she is determined to leave it behind.
The film opens with Sandoval’s Donna already straddling these two worlds, going home with a young guy in the city one night, then making campaign posters in a rural setting the next morning. But one of the most interesting things you notice about the movie is the fact that Donna’s trans-ness is almost secondary to the plot. There’s one scene early in the film where she talks to a client about how often she feels dehumanized as an object of fetish in this line of work, which comes back in the context of an assault by the guys’ friends later on; and at spare points throughout the movie she is behind-her-back mocked by the peers of her son Tomas showing normalized homophobia and transphobia in this society. But at the same time the people she works with, her friends, all of them cisgender, are completely accepting of her and incredibly kind towards her. Hell, even other adults she meets on the campaign trail are entirely unphased by her, and the one client who continues to see her, the powerful businessman and narrative antagonist who owns the political opponent of this election, is unashamed. It’s the sex worker aspect itself that seems to be more of a stigma.
The plot doesn’t rely on Donna being trans, though it would be less interesting if she wasn’t. It’s a story of a woman going to severe ends and even undermining her own moral compass for the life she wants and the cause she believes in. Sandoval has pointed to Klute as a major inspiration for the story of a sex worker with strong convictions trying to start over, likewise looking to classic crime and political movies for influence. And her filmmaking is good, if a bit unpolished in that way a lot of debuts are. Generally Sandoval favours clear cuts to pans or other dynamic transitory choices. Some takes go on a bit too long. But she directs her actors very well and has a strong sense of framing. Her movie aims for both Filipino and international audiences (she herself was educated in New York), which may contribute to the somewhat Americanized but very clear storytelling. And she is keenly aware of her own striking screen presence.
Gradually, the movie goes in some dark directions in mirror of Donna’s desperate choices; and the climax is especially emotionally uncomfortable –a realization of her worst fear. But Sandoval plays it exceptionally. One moment that feels like a hundred is fixed on her face, pained and failing composure as she bears witness to a horrible psychological trauma intimately involving herself. The sound effects do a lot of heavy lifting, but not as much as Sandoval. They come into play again at the critical moment, where she indulgently draws out the pacing to deliver her ending. There’s some awkwardness to it, but overall it fits well.
Señorita is a solid first film, one made clearly with a lot of love and a desire to paint a different picture of trans people. The most shocking thing may be how modern it feels for a movie made a decade ago, both in its approach to a trans character and in the way it depicts its politics. Maybe Sandoval had her ear to the ground, only now are the rest of us catching up with her.
 
Criterion Recommendation: Orlando (1992)
It’s really surprising to me that Sally Potter’s Orlando hasn’t been added to the Criterion Collection because it checks off a lot of their typical, well, criteria. It’s an art film, somewhat experimental, from a niche British filmmaker adapted from a classic novel and tackles big thematic subjects in a new and exciting way. And the collection could always use more LGBTQ films. Based on the story by Viriginia Woolf, it follows the young androgynous Orlando (played by Tilda Swinton in her best performance), initially a favourite of Elizabeth I who grants him immortality on her deathbed. The film then follows Orlando’s life over the next several centuries, separated into chapters based on theme, during which time Orlando also spontaneously changes sex from male to female. The films’ conversation on gender and sexuality seems extremely ahead of its time and is perhaps more compelling now than in 1992. But the central narrative idea is also really engrossing and the only complaint I have about the film is that it’s too short at an hour and half. Orlando could easily be three hours and I wouldn’t mind.

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