Miss Carbón (Queen of Coal) (Review) | BFI Flare 2026

The first time we see future!Carlita, I break down crying.

It's not just the music cue that gets you; it's the wise, knowing smile of Carlita looking back at herself, perhaps the hope her current self carries over her sadness as she smiles back. We've all had that vision before – of some glittering version of ourselves, doing what we love, radiant, sanctified, and completely joyous. In our lowest moments, we see the vision, and we know, but we also know that right now, it all seems inexplicably far away. So what is this vision?

Based on true events, Queen of Coal is a story about how one woman survived long enough to pierce through that veil of uncertainty and realise herself. Carlita Rodríguez, played with absolute radiance by Lux Pascal, was the first (out) trans woman to work in the mines of Río Turbio, Argentina. By the way, the first woman to work in the Patagonia Basin, too, due to a local superstition. We don't need much dialogue or fanfare - like life in the town, with a simple, minimalistic approach, we see it all.

I had the privilege at TIFF a few years ago of hearing Pascal speak about the experience of filming Miss Carbón, and it did not sound easy – and though balanced in temperament, the film is really tough in places, and I can imagine it would have been very difficult to film. She holds the film together with incredible grace and quickly establishes herself as one of the most interesting (and natural) actresses in indie film today, and that's saying something in 2026's stacked landscape.

Director Agustina Macri creates the perfect mix of movement and patience, which I found deeply refreshing for a "biopic" - somehow both abstract and arthouse, with the detail of something made for the mainstream. I especially love the cinematography - what could have become an overly grim visual language was given as much saturation as was humanly possible and plausible, which makes the entire film feel like a dream.

I can't leave without saying that somehow I had forgotten that eternal hottie Paco León was in this – yes, Paco León of both The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and La Casa de las Flores fame (pop quiz: which Golden Era Film did Paco Leon remake as a road trip movie?). His performance in this has a quiet gravity that you're never quite sure you can trust. I'm trying not to remark on his mind-blowing beauty in this piece, as I'm trying to be professional.