Julia Brian, a former construction worker, is now 65-years-old and was born a man. Up until his teen years, he was a run-of-the-mill gay man. Then “he” became a “she”, as a transvestite, and back in 1993 she had her sex change operation at Hospital de Clínicas in Montevideo, Uruguay. It was definitely one of the most important events of her life — not only because Julia’s body finally matched her gender identity, but also because it was something her 75-year-old companion, Ignacio González, had long wanted since he first met her as a man at a city park on Christmas Eve. Ever since then, they have been together every single day of their lives. And now, despite their age, they have decided to get married, just like any regular couple in love.
Uruguayan filmmaker Aldo Garay met the couple long before they thought of tying the knot. After getting to know them and gaining their trust, he set out to film their daily life, with no emphasis on any central events, but placing his gaze on small incidents and day to day occurrences. So his film El casamiento is an observational documentary for the most part, yet there also quite a few fragments of candid interviews with the couple. Some of these interviews explore the subjectivity and inner lives of Julia and Ignacio, whereas others are just illustrative of their story together.
And that’s perhaps one of the problems here: a certain lack of momentous insights and observations on so rich a material. And it’s not because the couple is shy or reluctant to talk before the camera. On the contrary: they behave very naturally and in a friendly way. And it surely seems they are more than glad to share their experiences. That’s why you get a feeling of truthfulness and honesty throughout.
As regards the observational part, there’s an almost equal number of telling, eloquent scenes that depict their warm, emotional bond, and merely descriptive ones that fail to elicit any kind of drama. In these scenes, El casamiento becomes routine fare without much appeal. But at least it’s partly compensated by the subtle and charming photography that exudes sweetness as well as adding a poetic layer to the environment the characters live in.
Most importantly, the presence of the interviewer is invisible and so his camera is never intruding, and in this ways viewers are prompted to being direct witnesses of the intimacy of a couple that may be odd to some (or many), and yet it’s just like another tender couple. That is to say, two people who care for each other, promise to be as one both in good and bad times, and do their best to be happy together. It makes sense: that’s what love is all about.
Production notes
El casamiento / The Wedding (Uruguay – Argentina 2011) Written and directed by Aldo Garay. With: Julia Brian, Ignacio González. Cinematography: Germán De León, Nicolás Soto. Editing: Federico la Rosa. Running time: 71 minutes
