In Divina, Ode uses iconography: “To show that travestis can be alive, grow old, leave a legacy, be victorious, and be seen as sacred.” In particular, Ode adorns Marcinha in images of saints often found in her hometown. The inclusion of religious signs is a recurring theme for Ode, who often explores Brazilian iconographies that “challenge Western perceptions, which generally ignore the Global South as part of Latin American life,” she says.
Personal shots of Marcinha’s home in the film only serve to deepen this divinity. Ode recounts that the documentation process “was simple”; “just two days”, one in the garden of a production company “and another afterwards at Marcinha’s home”. She describes the way her house looked like a museum of Marcinha:
“Marcinha’s history is in every detail of the house: in the innumerable pictures of Marcinha herself, photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, banners, trophies and more trophies, sketches of her costumes, dolls of herself, some even wearing the mini version of her most iconic looks.”
Ode is also present in the film – permeating through in moments that show her connection to the icon. In the opening scene, as the camera enters Marcinha’s living room, we see a Marcinha performance playing on the TV through beaded curtains. The video is one of the performances that Ode replayed over and over on YouTube while remembering the star.
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