Veneno

The Very Best

Veneno2020

8/10
A defiant portrait of an outstanding trans icon that reckons with Spain’s trans representation

Our take

Most people take for granted that for the longest time, certain sectors of society had no one in their corner on screen, at least until someone bold and brilliant enough dared to meet the world on their own terms. Veneno is a series about the iconic titular trans TV personality, but it’s also a story about a trans journalist finding voice and her own gender expression through meeting La Veneno. It’s excellently structured, alternating between La Veneno’s beginnings and Valeria Vegas’ writing, and it’s just lovely to see the new faces of Spain’s trans community celebrate the woman that brought the community on screen.

Synopsis

Adored for her charisma and her free, explicit and fun way of expressing herself, La Veneno gained popularity thanks to her television appearances in the 90s. However, her life and especially her death remain an enigma.

Storyline

After the iconic TV personality La Veneno was released from prison, trans journalism student Valeria Vegas finds solace in meeting the actual Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez and writing her biography.

TLDR

What a woman.

What stands out

I love how all three of the women that portrayed Cristina maintain the same guarded cattiness and sense of humor all throughout.