“Paloma” brings the love story of a trans woman who wants to get married in the Church

Ten years ago, director Marcelo Gomes read Paloma’s story. A trans woman who wanted to get married in the Church, with a veil and a wreath and that raised the wrath of a small town.

“I was very moved, this story brings so many contradictions, it talks about love, hate, prejudice, but it talks, above all, about affection”, he says.

In the rural northeast, the cinematographic Paloma harvests papayas, has a family, friends and her faith. She says her prayers every night and dreams of getting married in a white dress, according to Catholic tradition.

Throughout the film, we follow the character’s journey in search of her fairy tale (even a letter to the Vatican she sends) and, more importantly, we follow Paloma’s search for the love she still doesn’t know she deserves.

She is not a character summarized to her gender, she is not worthy of pity or idolatry for being a trans woman. Paloma is complex, makes mistakes, is naive and approaches the public precisely because of that. She looks like a dear friend, a confidant that everyone wishes they had.

And, of course, perhaps the most complex aspect of your personality is your belief. Fulfilling such a heteronormative desire seems contradictory for a trans woman, deserted, even by the religion she follows.

“Everyone wants to be legitimized. When we have an aesthetic procedure, we put on makeup, we shave… that’s legitimation”, says Kika Sena, “why can’t a black transvestite from the northeastern hinterland be legitimized, simply because she wants to get married in the Church?”

In her film debut, Kika Sena embodies a perfect Paloma, but it took a while for the actress to sink in. Kika didn’t understand Paloma’s choices, until she began to relate the character to her own mother, a black, illiterate, single mother.

“She was always judged by society for being alone, so my mother looked for relationships to assert herself in front of people”, she says, “I welcomed my mother, so I welcomed Paloma”.

In the film, the character is also welcomed, through three main pillars: her daughter and her ex-wife, her friends at work and her friends at the bar. This whole network of affection brings strength to Paloma, encourages her dreams, but cannot protect her from everything. Most of the violence in the film is veiled and, literally, blurred, thanks to the beautiful photography by Pierre de Kerchove.

“Violence comes, and we don’t reveal the antagonist”, says Marcelo, “we left him out of focus on purpose, because what matters in this film is the strength of affection”.

trans representation

In the country that kills the most transvestites and transsexuals in the world, “Paloma” reveals itself as a political position, through history and production.

“We have so many wonderful trans actresses out there, how could I tell a story about them and not invite them?” says Marcelo.

According to the director, despite the actresses living different lives from those they played in the film, they all brought affective memories that helped him build the characters.

“Giving visibility is the way to destroy prejudices”, he says, “telling Paloma’s story is a way of saying that we need to build a more humane society”.

Passing through the Rio Festival, the film won best fiction and best actress, it was the first time that a trans woman won the award. For Kika Sena, this means opening up more and more avenues in cinema for representation, risking even playing cis women.

“If we’ve been played so many times by non-trans people, why can’t the opposite happen?” she asks.

The fact is that the space that is increasingly expanding in the audiovisual for LGBTQIA+ actors did not come with a kiss. Kika Sena thanks every transvestite who, back there, fought for her rights.

“The transvestites were there, claiming their spaces, claiming public policies”, he says, “now, they must be very happy with us taking the leading roles, their dust must be shining in the sea of ​​eternity”.

“Paloma” premiered on the national film circuit on Thursday (10).