My Emptiness and I

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Director Adrián Silvestre partners with co-writer and lead actress Raphaëlle Perez to create a colorful, layered portrait of a life in flux.

Working in a call center in Barcelona after relocating from France, sensitive dreamer Raphi works through her recent diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Through it all — embarrassing dates, adapting to the rhythms of a new life, candid conversations with an exuberant support group of multigenerational trans women — Raphi chases after an elusive image of modern love that continually shifts and surprises her.

With a star-making performance by Raphaëlle Pérez, this narrative feature debut is a romantic and illuminating story of one woman’s transfeminine experience and an invigorating cinematic experience, destined to become a queer classic.

“Highly Recommended. This film is a valuable addition to a Spanish film collection, but it also transcends language and culture by centering the narrative of trans people as the storytellers of their own lives, presenting an authentic perspective that resonates universally.” – Audra M. Deemer, Head of Acquisitions & Collections, DePaul University, EMRO

“Made with a rare sensitivity and compassion, My Emptiness and I is a study, at once muted and lacerating, of the search for validation of a young trans woman in a world which can offer her no ready-made identities to choose from. Built around a superb, challenging central performance by Raphaëlle Perez, the understated Emptiness seems destined to... confirm Adrián Silvestre as one of Spain’s standout new directorial talents.” – Jonathan Holland, Screendaily

“A beautiful film, unstable and always very conscious of occupying that perfect place between the sublime and, indeed, the ridiculous. Always maximal.” – Luis Martínez, El Mundo

“The world of digital dating and hookup apps, where each profile offers a representation of oneself, on display in a virtual shop window, is a crucial element of the plot of this film, which calls into question the categories, stereotypes and labels that can constitute obstacles on the road towards fully blossoming in one’s life.” – Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa

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Main credits

Silvestre, Adrián (film director)
Silvestre, Adrián (screenwriter)
Pérez, Raphaëlle (screenwriter)
Pérez, Raphaëlle (actor)
Marques-Marcet, Carlos (screenwriter)
Figueras, Marta (film producer)

Other credits

Cinematography, Laura Herrero Garvín; editing, Adrián Silvestre.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

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