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The Wachowskis are setting up to return to the Matrix franchise with a fourth movie, and while we’ve gotten a lot of analyses of the original films, Lilly Wachowski has just revealed that there is actually an allegory for Transexuality when it comes to The Matrix.
She shared this in a video from Netflix Film Club which was made to promote the release of a documentary called Disclosure which will look into the history of trans representation in media. Check it out:
21 years after The Matrix debuted and blew our minds, Lilly Wachowski looks back on the film’s legacy, discusses the trans allegory at the center of the sci-fi classic, and shares her and Lana Wachowski’s original vision for the character Switch.
Though a lot of people usually just read the Christ metaphor of Neo when it comes to The Matrix, it’s interesting to see that the themes of transformation and self-perception are also there to further the allegory of Transexuality.
This is said to be most prevalent on Belinda McClory’s character Switch, who was supposed to be a man in the real world, but a woman in the Matrix. With the studio opting to remove that element of the story though, the Wachowskis have decided to make the character androgynous as homage to the original plans. They even kept the name ‘Switch’ (because the character switches genders, you see).
We don’t know what’s in store for the fourth movie yet, but hopefully we get a good look before the year ends. With Hollywood being all about inclusion now, it’s likely the Wachowskis will be able to explore deeper themes without the studio getting in their way.
Catch The Matrix 4 when it comes out April 1, 2022.
