Queer Cinema World Tour is our regular feature taking you to destinations behind your favourite LGBTQ2S+ film moments. This week we visit Santiago, Chile, the setting for 2017’s A Fantastic Woman.
Chilean director Sebastián Lelio Watt has a thing for depicting the journeys of women. Since he directed the critically acclaimed Gloria in 2013, all his films—A Fantastic Woman, Disobedience, Gloria Bell and The Wonder—have centred on female protagonists.
A Fantastic Woman, which won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was the last film he set in his hometown of Santiago, Chile, after what seemed like a decision to go after English-language audiences. (2018’s Gloria Bell is a English-language sometimes shot-for-shot remake of Gloria, but set in Los Angeles, California, and starring Julianne Moore.)
A Fantastic Woman was definitely a turning point in Lelio’s career. And for starring lead Daniela Vega, who went on to become the first trans person in history to be a presenter at the Academy Awards ceremony.
When Orlando (Francisco Reyes), the older married lover of Marina (Vega) dies unexpectedly, she must deal with a world that can’t believe, since she’s trans, that their relationship was real. As Marina tries to claim her place in Orlando’s life, and work through her own feelings about the loss, she faces accusations by his wife and by authorities.
In the film, Marina is left to fend for herself. In the real Santiago, she wouldn’t necessarily have to struggle alone. Santiago is home to Organizado Trans Diversidades (OTD), which promotes the human rights of trans people through education and (this could be useful for Marina) legal advocacy. Though the schedule is a bit sporadic, OTD also hosts Trans Fest in Santiago and other cities in the country. Though last year voters rejected a progressive new constitution for the country, that would have improved trans rights, progress is still being made; last year, Chile issued its first gender-neutral identity document to Shane Cienfuegos, who identifies as non-binary. Same-sex marriage was legalized here in 2021.
Lelio captures Marina making her way through various neighbourhoods of the Chilean capital. Whether she’s wandering across an elegant park or near a crumbling residential complex, she’s very much exposed and very much alone.
In one scene, Marina strolls through Parque Almagro, a peaceful and pretty park just south of Plaza de Armas. Though it’s a chill spot close to downtown, it’s also the home of Museo Palacio Cousiño (Dieciocho 438, Santiago), a grand home, opened in 1882, which was granted to the city in 1977 and turned into a museum. On the opposite end of the park is Basílica de los Sacramentinos (Sta. Isabel 1127, Santiago), which was inspired by Paris’ Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Later, another church, La Sagrada Familia (Los Misioneros 2176, Santiago), figures in Marina’s standoff with Orlando’s family.
From Parque Almagro, Marina could head up pedestrianized Paseo Bulnes to a rather grand institutional area composed of Plaza Bulnes, Centro Cultural La Moneda, Teatro Nacional Chileno Sala Antonio Varas and the Palacio de La Moneda, which is where the presidential offices are located. The downtown is full of 19th-century neoclassical, art deco and neo-gothic architecture.
A somber monument a bit further afield, in the Cementerio General (Prof. Zañartu 951, Recoleta, Santiago), the Daniel Zamudio Memorial for the Diversity of Chile is dedicated to a young man who was the victim of homophobic violence; it’s meant to be a national symbol against discrimination. El Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Matucana 501, Santiago) explores human rights and reconciliation through a very Chilean lens: the oppressive regime of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, who governed between 1973 and 1990.
This has been a downbeat tour so far, which is strange considering how much there is to see and do in this lively metropolitan region of seven million people. Santiago is a city for people who love art, theatre, music and nightlife—there are a lot of dance-club scenes in A Fantastic Woman (Marina is, in fact, a singer). So you should head north to the leafy district of Bellavista, which is known for its bohemian vibe—which is to say it’s the city’s gay village. You can take the metro to save a little time.
Although you’ll want to spend time wandering Bellavista’s colourful narrow streets, the key gay stroll is Bombero Núñez. It’s here you’ll find drag bar Dionisio Divas (Bombero Núñez 111), the appropriately named Bar 105 Fetish (Bombero Núñez 105), cabaret Moulin Rouge (Bombero Núñez 130), leather-y danceclub Ex Bunker (Bombero Núñez 105), showbar Contramano Restopub (Bombero Núñez 388) and, well, you get the picture. There’s something for every taste.
It would be nice to end your tour with a bite at the Chinese restaurant Lung Fung in which A Fantastic Woman begins—Orlando is celebrating Marina’s birthday. Its lush opulence was pretty camp. But it’s unfortunately closed since filming—those good times are but a memory. So grab a bite at El Toro (Alonso de Córdova 3788, piso -1, Vitacura, Santiago), the remaining location of this warm and inviting LGBTQ+-friendly eatery. Raise a glass of Amayna Sauvignon Blanc from the Leyda Valley, which is only an hour-and-a-quarter’s drive away from downtown Santiago, and toast Marina, a truly fantastic woman.
