Film recommendation: the garden of Fanni

In Hungary, in 2018, a law banned people from living in public spaces, effectively criminalising homelessness.

In 2020, the government made it impossible to change birth sex and the associated name in official documents.

Anti-homeless and anti-LGBTQ laws, combined with state propaganda, contribute to the growing number of people who are marginalised.

And then a very unique and special documentary was born (which received “a lot” of support from above, you might think). A documentary that reveals with bold honesty the strange relationship between two people on the margins of society. The story of 19-year-old transgender Fanni and 60-year-old homeless Laci is also about exclusion, the power of human connection and acceptance.

The film’s director, Gergő Somogyvári, originally started filming in response to a government decision on homelessness when he found Fann and Laci living in a cabin in the woods. The film also shows the practical consequences of these political decisions, while showing the unlikely relationship between the two protagonists.

Most of the story takes place in the “Fairy Garden” , where Fanni and Laci spend their everyday life. Images of nature and the home environment are intertwined with Fanni’s online logins, showing the young woman’s struggle for acceptance and self-understanding. There is nothing to get bored of in them, for there is no projection or cheap exhibitionism.

We see a pure struggle. Fanni is clearly not mentally well. She has panic attacks, takes too much Xanax and has been taken away by ambulance several times. She is on hormone therapy and is excited to watch her body evolve day by day. She is funding this with the help of Laci, who is supporting her on her transition journey as a matter of course. We also get a sharp but not particularly nuanced picture of Laki – or Lacko, as Fanni calls him. Through his relationship with Fanni, however, it becomes clear that he has immense care and perseverance. In the relationship between the two of them, total acceptance is mixed with frequent mothering, but this too comes quite naturally.

Their situation is extreme, but – if not at the same level – these struggles are not completely alien.

The question arises as to whether the chicken came first or the egg, but in Fanni’s case, the lack of acceptance, a stable family background and adequate professional support obviously led to an even more negative outcome. Laci, on the other hand, despite her limited knowledge of the subject, is surprisingly tolerant of stereotypical expectations and even has an opinion about parents who push their children away because they are different.

There is no romance or fairytale, just coping strategies.

The film has won numerous awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

The film is available at cinego.hu (I’m sure there are other sites, but I’ll just tweak here).

So.
Do we have a problem guys?
No problem!