I would like to start this post with a bit of a public service announcement: The Matrix Revolutions is the third film in The Matrix trilogy. I know this may be pretty obvious to some, but I hadn't watched these films in nearly two decades, and since Revolutions and The Matrix Reloaded both came out in 2003--albeit 6 months apart--I was confused as to which one came first. So if you're finding this post and haven't read the one on Reloaded, there's nothing I can do to force you to go back, but I do build off stuff I talked about in that review. We good? Welcome back to Pride Month, which I am celebrating once again by talking about a movie that followed a very queer coded film, but is predominantly straight. Oops.
philosophical
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
I honestly considered not reviewing The Matrix sequels during Pride Month. The original film is now widely accepted as a trans allegory--no doubt helped by the creators, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, coming out as trans women in the years since. But my goal was to at least try to watch them with a queer eye, so Pride Month is as good a time as any. Did I find overt queerness in The Matrix Reloaded? Well... not really. Drat.
The Matrix (1999)
As I said in the Strapped post, one of my goals for Pride Month was to review The Matrix trilogy. Sure, it's about a white cisgender guy who falls in love with a white cisgender girl, but the creators are trans women! Well, they are now; Mrs. Lana and Lily Wachowski didn't write and direct The Matrix under those names, but we try not to deadname here, especially during Pride Month. So get ready for a week of trans philosophy! Or really one day of trans philosophy and two of "I think the overall message got a bit muddied as time and sequels went on."
Strapped (2010)
When I decided to review a bunch of queer movies in honor of Pride Month, I had two goals: to review The Matrix trilogy--the directors are trans sisters, so that's why I opened with the "or were made by queer creators" caveat--and to review Strapped, which is probably my favorite gay movie. It's a bit of an odd one, but did you really expect anything less from me by this point?
Chwineka Watches 