Movies have an enormous power to inspire and excite. But even more than that, they can sometimes have a direct impact on real life. And decades after its release, The Matrix definitely stands out as one of those impeccable movies for a lot of people. Now one of the film’s directors, Lilly Wachowski, has confirmed a much-discussed element of The Matrix.
‘The Matrix’ is a sci-fi action thriller with a lot to say
To be sure, The Matrix offers a cinematic experience like few others. On the surface, the movie is just a sci-fi action thriller. But sisters Lilly and Lana Wachowski infused the story with a variety of influences. In addition to action and sci-fi, The Matrix evokes mythology, religion, anime, Westerns, film noir, and countless philosophical concepts.
More than 20 years after its theatrical release, bits of dialogue – such as the red bill against the blue bill – are engaging in the public consciousness. The sequel to the movie – 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded en The Matrix Revolutions – developed the themes of the first film. And although they contribute their own ideas, nothing matches the influence of the original The Matrix.
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Co-director Lilly Wachowski revealed just the ‘original intent’ of the film
Since the release of The Matrix in 1999, both Lana and Lilly Wachowski emerged as transgender women. And over the years, fans have begun to suspect that Wachowskis’ film is actually an allegory for what it is like to be transgender. Now in a recent interview, Lilly Wachowski discussed about this is exactly what she and her sister really meant.
I’m glad people are talking The Matrix movies with a transfer story. I love how meaningful those movies are to people and the way they come up to me and say “These movies have saved my life.” … That I’m thankful I can throw her a rope to help her on her journey. . I’m glad it turned out to be the original intention, but the business world was not ready for it.
Wachowski also discussed how the film’s idea of ’making it impossible’ informs the connection with the transgender community. After all, The Matrix ends literally with Neo (Keanu Reeves) announcing that he will show others how to free their minds and escape the limitations of the system.
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Will Lana Wachowski’s next fourth film revisit this theme?
As Wachowski said, in 1999 the world was not ready for a blatant transgender story. But times have changed a lot since then. May The Matrix 4 Midway through filming, fans have wondered how the new film will build on the franchise. One way is to tackle a transgender story much more directly.
Finally, the Wachowskis later explored the LGBTQ community much more deeply in their Netflix series Sense8. And as Lilly Wachowski points out, the character of Switch is in The Matrix was initially a man in the real world and a woman in the Matrix. Perhaps The Matrix 4 was able to reintroduce this idea into its own expansion of the series’ themes.
