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One of the directors of The Matrix is confirming an old theory about the casting choices of the Wachowski sisters. After both of the Wachowski sisters, opened up about being transgender, The Matrix became a rallying cry for trans people who were looking for representation in larger media. With many elements of the movies reflecting the life of trans men, trans women, and non-binary people, The Matrix offered a rare, positive, and welcoming look into a symbolic portrayal of trans people in blockbuster movies.
In an interview with Them, The Matrix director Lilly Wachowski confirmed an old theory that the casting in The Matrix reflected its transgender themes. Check out her quote below:
Yeah, with all the decisions we made with that film, there’s just this burbling transness simmering below everything. So when I look back at the way that we cast those two parts, I can see how obvious it is that they’re one part in a lot of ways; that they’re two sides of the same coin. It’s not like these were conscious decisions, but more like we’re finding our way instinctively as these two closeted trans women. So all those things that your receptors are buzzing about are completely valid.
The explanation came shortly after Wachowski discussed the fact that The Matrix wasn’t intentionally a transgender allegory. Instead, themes leaked into the work as a result of both directors being closeted trans women, even if neither of them planned it.
The Matrix As A Transgender Allegory
After the Wachowski sisters began their transitions, it was beyond simple to look at The Matrix and consider underlying elements that seemed to reflect life as a transgender person. After all, everyone who takes the red pill in the Matrix turns their lives upside down, as they find themselves in a desperate identity crisis. With a community’s support for the first time, they have the chance to live their lives fully and freely, and they tend to be willing to fight for it.
Many, like Neo, choose their own names after returning to the real world — something that many transgender people do as well. It also explores the harms of binaries and the underlying feeling that not all is right with reality. In many ways, what Neo experiences in the Matrix is akin to gender dysphoria. The battle against the human-hunting agents reflects a struggle with transphobia.
With the rise of queerbaiting in media, the open trans allegory of The Matrix is a breath of fresh air. That confirmation that the casting was also filled with “burbling transness” only makes the underlying meaning stronger. It may have been completely unintentional on behalf of the Wachowski sisters, but the themes in The Matrix were all there, and they provide an important example of representation for the LGBTQ+ community.
Source: Them
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