1992 ‘Ich bin meine eigene Frau’ Directed by Rosa von Praunheim
The life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi reign as a trans woman and helped start the German gay liberation movement. Documentary with some dramatized scenes. Two actors play the young and middle aged Charlotte and she plays herself in the later years.
Germany
Canada
USA
Germany
Canada
Germany
USA
A trans doc that includes testimony and input from actual trans elders... what a concept.
Rosa von Praunheim continues to be one of my favorite queer filmmakers, yet the approach he takes here -- letting the real Charlotte von Mahlsdorf interact with the actors portraying her and comment on the accuracy of the re-enactments of moments of her life -- feels more like a film like Jane B. par Agnès V. than it does anything else in his filmography. So charming, despite just how dark her life really was.
Familiar queer narrative: mentor, danger, secret community, defiance, quasi-liberation, more violence, token recognition but no real change. Charlotte preserved fragments of history; this fits the theme I have been railing against for over a week now of erasure. She fights a quieter fight while fighting a louder fight, opening a queer space, protesting in her way and being visible, refusing to be anything but herself. Note how she is not safe in Nazi Germany, East Germany, or Unified Germany; note how un-communist it is to persecute anyone, no matter how it actually played out.
Pride month: 15/20
Transgender project: 7
A common theme in a lot of queer films is the use of art to fill in the blanks from a history that has erased us. This film goes a step farther by having it's interview subject, a trans woman who has lived through the rise of Nazism and the fall of Communism, as its historical base while recreating moments from her past (life in gay bars, encounters with past lovers, and involvement in the gay liberation movement). The whole thing plays out like a (better) version of Angès Varda's Faces Places; a vibrant document on an infectiously wonderful person. The thing I love the most about Charlotte is how her optimism and resilience act as her greatest weapons against oppression. Go watch it.
My first Rosa von Praunheim and it's an absolute masterpiece. A document of an extraordinary life that situates itself along a continuum of gay, lesbian and trans struggle, survival, resistance, expression, subversion, celebration, and eroticism in 20th century Germany. All that, and a casually radical piece of nonfiction filmmaking. An overwhelming work.
Effortlessly blends fiction and non-fiction by restaging events from the life of its subject, whose actors/characters either exit a scene into her arms or who enters the scene in order to provide additional (historical) context to the goings-on. Lesson: make a documentary on the person whom you respect and/or admire while they are still around. You won’t end up with a mere documentary, but a moving work of art.
The life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, told through re-enactments supervised by the subject herself. She would enter the scene to chat with the actors, giving commentary and insight on her character for both actor and audience. It’s an ingenious way to tell a person’s story. Charlotte is a total charmer, too, just a joy to watch. There’s such a light-hearted sweetness to her, even when she’s talking about escaping nazis. And her aunt, from her younger years, was just incredible.
An essential piece of trans and queer history from Germany. Takes us all the way to the late 19th century and through the second world war to the oppressive DDR and all the way to the future after the Wall where capitalism threatens Charlotte's peace and freedom. She tells her story which becomes like a testimony even though director Rosa von Praunheim never over-dramatizes the historical tragedies. Despite the heavy subject matter, this is a film that constantly remains hopeful and finds its strengths in that of Charlotte's. I'd like to emphasize again that there is no over-dramatization, some scenes from history are re-enacted but they are always self-aware and artificial. "Distancing" isn't exactly the method used here, it is…
Had great fun assisting the amazing Lily Sarosi with projecting this incredible and vital film at Spectacle’s inaugural 16mm screening using our new permanent onsite Eiki. More analog film to come!
With a lovely and informative intro by series programmer Elizabeth Purchell, I gotta say it was a rousing success. Completely agree that it’s absolutely crazy this isn’t better known and more regularly exhibited! Such a knockout screening for Pride. Aunt Luise lowkey MVP of the film.
god i love trans ppl so much. normally don’t love re-enactments but this rly worked for me. hooted and hollered when Coming Out showed up on screen because i forgot lottchen was in it & now i wanna watch it again. hugest ups to spectacle for programming this gem i’ve wanted to watch for a long time.
Part of the 2017 Queer Films Challenge
Week 9: A movie starring an actor/actress who is trangender/transexual/or anyone else who falls under the trans umbrella.
As the 21st person on Letterboxd to log this movie, I can attest that sometimes extremely obscure masterpieces do exist. I was shocked that I had to come across this film by accident and had never heard about it before, not just because it's a strong and nuanced portrait of the life of a transgender woman that avoids the hoariest cliches and makes her real-life voice the most prominent on so that she can actually tell her own story, but it's also one of the most engaging and fascinating documentaries I've ever seen. A mix…
Such a playful approach that mirrors its subject so well. It’s a trans doc, we know how painful it’ll probably be, but it brought so much joy at times.
Screened this film’s follow up “Charlotte in Sweden” beforehand, not realizing what I was doing. I loved it. Very fun accident turned successful experiment.
