Film: Trans Memoria - IDFA

Victoria Verseau met Meril in 2012 at the Thai hotel where they stayed together before and after their gender affirming surgery. Years later she returns to the hotel room they shared. Meril has since died, having taken her own life. In and around the hotel, she and Athena and Aamina, who are now going through their own transitions, reflect on issues surrounding femininity, loss and death.

Verseau takes us on an open exploration of what it means to be a trans woman, sharing intimate moments of doubt and uncertainty, and showing images of the harsh reality of gender affirming operations. Meril’s absence becomes increasingly palpable, and this film is as much an ode to their friendship as a call for perseverance.

Past, present, and future intertwine in this loosely structured film, reflecting the way we recollect memories. Interviews, diary extracts from before and after the operation, home videos from Verseau’s youth, and re-enactments of her friendship with Meril merge in a film that is itself in constant transition.