Directed by Paul B. Preciado, Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography follows the centuries-spanning life of a young nobleman who awakens to find that they a woman. Almost a century after its publication, Preciado claims that fiction has become reality and Orlando’s story lies at the root of all contemporary trans and non-binary life. Starring: Oscar S Miller, Janis Sahraoui, Liz Christin, Elios Levy, Victor Marzouk, Kori Ceballos, Vanasay Khamphommala, Ruben Rizza, Julia Jimmy Postollec and more.
The idea to explore the trans and non-binary experience through a blend of past and present to portray the commonalities and the history was a great idea. The way that Paul B. Preciado chooses to do so in such a poetic, artistic manner feels slightly reminiscent of Terence Davies’ Benediction, but in a more direct style. It’s unique and flows nicely through both issues of mental health and gender fluidity.
However, it does feel like people who aren’t familiar with Woolf’s novel may be getting less out of the experience, since it’s so deeply rooted. So, while the choice does work, it can also take away from these extremely personal stories as it creates a certain distance. It’s great to build a connection, to show the threads which tie all of these different stories together but when the focus feels more on the thread than the people themselves, it doesn’t feel like it’s doing them justice.
The style has a lot of creativity, it’s playful but still manages to capture the weight to the stories. It has a behind the scenes feel, stepping into a theatrical world and seeing its inner workings, as well as finished product. However, it does have a quite chaotic energy, jumping from place to place which is well suited to the artistic atmosphere but can make it more difficult to concentrate on. Although, it’s certainly filed with plenty of colour and personality.
Orlando, My Political Biography has a great concept but gets distracted by the artistry and doesn’t do its subjects true justice. There’s a lot of poignant, relevant stories to tell here so while interconnecting all of them to show the universal experience is well worth doing, it takes over too much. Preciado creates a strong style and has the best of intentions but it’s a shame the subjects weren’t given more time to just be themselves and embrace the very personal nature to this documentary.
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