News about 'the matrix' - no, not film #4, but the original is a meta story about transgender people

[Craig234]

I thought it was a creative, interesting, if absurd storyline, but turns out, it had a different purpose than I'd known. (I know, this probably isn't news to some who are more in touch with pop culture).

How 'The Matrix' is a trans story, according to Netflix and co-director | CNN

Netflix has posted a Twitter thread explaining the trans themes in "The Matrix," after one of its co-directors confirmed earlier this week that the movie was an allegory for gender transition.

www.cnn.com

 

[Captante]

Its news to me as well.

Also irrelevant.

 

[sdifox]

Meta what?

 

[BoomerD]

As fucked in the head as the Wachowski's are...wouldn't surprise me in the least.

 

[Craig234]

Meta what?

A meta story about trans people - that they were having to live in a 'pretend world' others made, and they could either keep doing that, or they could live as who they actually were.

 

[Craig234]

As fucked in the head as the Wachowski's are...wouldn't surprise me in the least.

I hope you are talking about something other than their being transexual.

 

[BoomerD]

I hope you are talking about something other than their being transexual.

 

[IronWing]

A meta story about trans people - that they were having to live in a 'pretend world' others made, and they could either keep doing that, or they could live as who they actually were.

Their portrayal of the "real world" isn't all that inviting.

 

[Craig234]

Their portrayal of the "real world" isn't all that inviting.

Well, what's more inviting, Neo or the office worker? The 'real world' seems to be a sci fi thriller.

 

[IronWing]

Well, what's more inviting, Neo or the office worker? The 'real world' seems to be a sci fi thriller.

Living in a submarine in the sewer of an alien empire.

 

[sandorski]

I suspect this is a little 20/20 reinterpretation. However, certain aspects are certainly similar. If it is directly related, I'd be curious if it was a Conscious Choice or a Sub-Conscious expression/inspiration.

 

[Craig234]

I suspect this is a little 20/20 reinterpretation. However, certain aspects are certainly similar. If it is directly related, I'd be curious if it was a Conscious Choice or a Sub-Conscious expression/inspiration.

If you read the story, it doesn't sound like it, they are talking about what they were thinking when they wrote it. It seems very subtle to me, but it says that some people picked up on it.

 

[Captante]

Well, what's more inviting, Neo or the office worker? The 'real world' seems to be a sci fi thriller.

 

[allisolm]

I can believe it since the 2 once known as the Wachowski brothers are now both the Wachowski sisters.

 

[brianmanahan]

interesting

 

[TheELF]

Living in a submarine in the sewer of an alien empire.

It's not a submarine just a normal futuristic "ship" / means of transportation.
It's not sewers but the ruins of a destroyed metropolis.
It's not an alien it's a human build empire, or at least it's human built machines that somehow got the wrong idea or something,it's skynet if it succeeded.

Watch the movie it's quite nice.

Also I call bull on them,Neo transforms into basically a god with his powers working in both the artificial and the real world,while trans people just want to become normal,if they said drag queens I would totally see it, drag queens become someone else completely and they become larger than life people.

 

[TheELF]

Well, what's more inviting, Neo or the office worker? The 'real world' seems to be a sci fi thriller.

Hm, nice steady extremely safe job or being hunted down by every single person on the planet...tough choice.

 

[pmv]

If you read the story, it doesn't sound like it, they are talking about what they were thinking when they wrote it. It seems very subtle to me, but it says that some people picked up on it.

It does sound like a retrospective interpretation to me. But it's their prerogative, it's their movie and their experience. Nobody else can be an authority on what was in their heads at the time. It's all a bit too generic to be entirely convincing though - the idea of ''waking up' and realising the world is not what you thought it was and you are not who you thought you were can be pressed into service for all sorts of metaphors, hence the incels using the 'pill' line.

 

[pmv]

It's not a submarine just a normal futuristic "ship" / means of transportation.
It's not sewers but the ruins of a destroyed metropolis.
It's not an alien it's a human build empire, or at least it's human built machines that somehow got the wrong idea or something,it's skynet if it succeeded.

Watch the movie it's quite nice.

Also I call bull on them,Neo transforms into basically a god with his powers working in both the artificial and the real world,while trans people just want to become normal,if they said drag queens I would totally see it, drag queens become someone else completely and they become larger than life people.

Isn't it both? The sewers of a destroyed metropolis?

 

[darkswordsman17]

It's not a submarine just a normal futuristic "ship" / means of transportation.
It's not sewers but the ruins of a destroyed metropolis.
It's not an alien it's a human build empire, or at least it's human built machines that somehow got the wrong idea or something,it's skynet if it succeeded.

Watch the movie it's quite nice.

Also I call bull on them,Neo transforms into basically a god with his powers working in both the artificial and the real world,while trans people just want to become normal,if they said drag queens I would totally see it, drag queens become someone else completely and they become larger than life people.

I have to agree. I think this is revisionist history and them attempting to undo the negativity around the brand due to the shitshow that the Matrix turned into in the 2nd and 3rd films, although I should read what they said/wrote before being so dismissive (but Twitter threads are worse than reading Reddit's interface). Plus I think Netflix is trying to drum up some social action points. Which, more power to them and I would like for them to make it more like that. Something empowering for transgender people. I hope they can make something that lives up to the original movie. I'm not sure I've enjoyed anything they've done since (Speed Racer was probably the closest, and I think it was a flop). Being honest I wasn't even that huge of a fan of the first Matrix.

That actually would be awesome! Although, To Wong Foo kinda already did that in a way (obviously very differently, yet I'd say there's some similarities). Imagine Wesley Snipes, 1/3 Noxeema, 1/3 Simon Phoenix, 1/3 Blade.

 

[Craig234]

It's not a submarine just a normal futuristic "ship" / means of transportation.
It's not sewers but the ruins of a destroyed metropolis.
It's not an alien it's a human build empire, or at least it's human built machines that somehow got the wrong idea or something,it's skynet if it succeeded.

Watch the movie it's quite nice.

Also I call bull on them,Neo transforms into basically a god with his powers working in both the artificial and the real world,while trans people just want to become normal,if they said drag queens I would totally see it, drag queens become someone else completely and they become larger than life people.

I think you sort of missed their point. They weren't saying that living honestly as transgender gives superpowers.

 

[Craig234]

It does sound like a retrospective interpretation to me. But it's their prerogative, it's their movie and their experience. Nobody else can be an authority on what was in their heads at the time.

I don't know what makes you question them, other than you making up suspicions. That's be the case even if they weren't transgender; the fact they are makes it very clear it would be a topic on their minds.

 

[pmv]

I don't know what makes you question them, other than you making up suspicions. That's be the case even if they weren't transgender; the fact they are makes it very clear it would be a topic on their minds.

Just a general opinion about human psychology (partly from introspection). Combined with what seems a lack of specifically-relevant content in those movies. As I say, the 'theme' seems a fairly generic one. But in a way maybe such things are indeterminate and undecidable, as it's a question about what was in their heads at the time - how would you even in theory establish 'the truth' about such a question?

 

[TheELF]

Isn't it both? The sewers of a destroyed metropolis?

I can't remember, they always had to stay low to hide themselves from the flying spermatozoa that where always trying to penetrate their penis shaped ship, so it always looked like a sewer and the tunnels they used to get to Zion didn't help much either but it sure wasn't the sewer of an alien empire.

 

[Craig234]

Just a general opinion about human psychology (partly from introspection). Combined with what seems a lack of specifically-relevant content in those movies. As I say, the 'theme' seems a fairly generic one. But in a way maybe such things are indeterminate and undecidable, as it's a question about what was in their heads at the time - how would you even in theory establish 'the truth' about such a question?

Well, I think a combination of the evidence, and opinion about psychology and plausibility, where accepting their story clearly makes the most sense to me over their making it up.