This is one of the best works by Ozon. He does a brilliant job in showing the process of a person in transition, the gradual changes, the high points and key moments. Romain Duris (David/Virginia) gives a stunning and nuanced performance of a man in grief after the death of his wife at a young age. In mourning and in taking care of his 6-month-old daughter Laura, he finds a part of himself awakened and he begins to express his desire to identify as a woman. He goes through many of the usual stages - dressing at home, going out for shopping, the exhilaration of being first identified as a woman etc. Before a culminating moment in the film, Virginia texts to friend Claire "Je suis une femme" (I am a woman)- meaning that the transformation in her mind is complete. We also can fully understand the ups and downs Claire goes through in being in this fully new situation. These aspects of the film are great.
Ozon then goes a bit off of the established path. He makes it important to understand that David does not identify as gay, a point often lost in portrayals of transgender individuals (sexual identity does not equal sexual orientation). We then see that there is a dimension for both Romain/Claire of creating a type of ersatz-Laura. Through Virginia, that deep friendship and perhaps even latent sexual desire can be acted upon. Again, so far so good.
I have 2 problems with the film. First, this is a portrayal of a transgender person in a very rarified environment, a bit like The Danish Girl. Sure, you don't need every film about a trans person to be beaten and constantly tormented to illustrate the hardships which trans people have to endure but this film is almost devoid of all of this. Virginia can go out to the family manner house and to the near-by accepting LGBT nightclub. Aside from some odd looks, we see nothing of issues with the outside world. What happens when David goes back to work? In the beginning of the film, he argues that his in-laws could take his daughter away. Yet we do not even see a conversation with them about this.
My biggest problem lies with the character of Claire. It becomes clear that she sees some form of emotional replacement of Laura in Virginia, which is fine. But she seems to neglect her own husband and family in the process. Her husband Gilles is amazingly understanding given everything that happens and is always shown to be supportive to whatever Claire wants. Yet Claire entertains the idea of a sexual relationship with Virginia. Worse than that, she and her husband are considering having a baby, an idea somehow abandoned. At the end of the film, we see Lucie, Virginia's daughter, picked up at school 7 years later by Virginia and Claire. We see no trace or evidence that Claire has had her own child, instead seemingly being a new ersatz parent for little Lucie. For me personally, the ending would have been more gratifying if they showed Claire with her own daughter and the 2 daughters could continue on a friendship. Instead, it seems from this brief scene that Claire has given up on her own family or perhaps has even left her husband. Either way, she seems to have neglected her caring husband and the audience were due at least a scene in which she informs him of her choices, particularly if she left the marriage.
Ozon then goes a bit off of the established path. He makes it important to understand that David does not identify as gay, a point often lost in portrayals of transgender individuals (sexual identity does not equal sexual orientation). We then see that there is a dimension for both Romain/Claire of creating a type of ersatz-Laura. Through Virginia, that deep friendship and perhaps even latent sexual desire can be acted upon. Again, so far so good.
I have 2 problems with the film. First, this is a portrayal of a transgender person in a very rarified environment, a bit like The Danish Girl. Sure, you don't need every film about a trans person to be beaten and constantly tormented to illustrate the hardships which trans people have to endure but this film is almost devoid of all of this. Virginia can go out to the family manner house and to the near-by accepting LGBT nightclub. Aside from some odd looks, we see nothing of issues with the outside world. What happens when David goes back to work? In the beginning of the film, he argues that his in-laws could take his daughter away. Yet we do not even see a conversation with them about this.
My biggest problem lies with the character of Claire. It becomes clear that she sees some form of emotional replacement of Laura in Virginia, which is fine. But she seems to neglect her own husband and family in the process. Her husband Gilles is amazingly understanding given everything that happens and is always shown to be supportive to whatever Claire wants. Yet Claire entertains the idea of a sexual relationship with Virginia. Worse than that, she and her husband are considering having a baby, an idea somehow abandoned. At the end of the film, we see Lucie, Virginia's daughter, picked up at school 7 years later by Virginia and Claire. We see no trace or evidence that Claire has had her own child, instead seemingly being a new ersatz parent for little Lucie. For me personally, the ending would have been more gratifying if they showed Claire with her own daughter and the 2 daughters could continue on a friendship. Instead, it seems from this brief scene that Claire has given up on her own family or perhaps has even left her husband. Either way, she seems to have neglected her caring husband and the audience were due at least a scene in which she informs him of her choices, particularly if she left the marriage.