My Emptiness and I
(Mi vacío y yo)
Adrián Silvestre | Drama, Fiction
2022 | 98 minutes | Spain
Working at a Barcelona call center, romantic dreamer Raphi grapples with her gender dysphoria diagnosis. As she chases an elusive image of modern love, surprises and shifts await. A queer film classic.
Synopsis
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.
Reviews
“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 hook-up 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
Citation
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.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Activism
Body Image
Culture + Identity
Family
Gender + Sexuality Studies
Human Rights
Mental Health
Migration Studies
Sociology
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
International Film Festival Rotterdam; Toronto International Film Festival; Guadalajara International Film Festival - Maguey Prize Best Film; Málaga Film Festival - Silver Biznaga Special Jury Prize; DA Film Festival - Special Mention; Seattle Queer Film Festival - Special Mention
DIRECTOR: Adrián Silvestre
NATIONALITY: Spain
YEAR: 2022
GENRE: Drama, Fiction
LANGUAGE: Spanish; French
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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