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
Keywords
LGBTQ,gender identity,gender dysphoria,trans,transsexual,trans issues,trans women,trans dating,nonbinary,queer,gender transition,queer cinema,spanish cinema,cinema in spanish,gender,sexuality,gender roles,gender identity,sexual orientation,gender equality,gender pronouns,gender studies,gender spectrum,gender norms,gender roles,gender stereotypes,sexual selection,sexualization,sexual awakening,puberty,pubescence,body image,appearance,body dissatisfaction,eating disorders,body acceptance,acceptance,body dysmorphic disorder,body dysmorphia,negative body image,distorted body image,confidence,self-esteem,self acceptance,fat acceptance,body acceptance,positive body image,negative body image,weight,fat,overweight,obesity,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,family,kin,fellowship,household,immediate family,extended family,multigenerational family,multigenerational household,kinfolk,family tree,genealogy,nuclear family,modern family,family tree,mental illness,therapy,trauma,behavioral health,mental disability,psychology,psychiatry,social work,wellbeing,counselor,diagnosis,mentally disabled,mental incapacitation,mentally defective,mental handicap,mental defective,psychotic break,psychosis,psychoses,mentally sound,questionable mental health,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,migration studies,migrant studies,immigration studies,refugee studies,diaspora studies,resettlement studies,settlement studies,migration,migrant,immigration,refugee,diaspora,resettlement,settlement,refugees,international migration,continental migration,resettling,settlers,settler,migrant,migrant studies,first generation immigrant,first generation immigration,new americans,new spaniards,activism,activist,digital activism,advocacy,advocate,involvement,militancy,militant,logrolling,striking,boycotting,championing,champion,effecting change,engagement,supporter,protest,protester,demonstrator,organizing,labor organizing,revolution,revolutionary,community organizing,effecting change,striking,labor strike,labor organizing,human rights,public rights,equal rights,freedom of expression,basic human rights,united nations,activism,human rights activism,human rights council,human rights commission,universal human rights,universal rights; "My Emptiness and I"; Pragda Films
Clips
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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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