She’s letting her work go, but not without a fight.
Lilly Wachowski is addressing the “crazy, mutant” ideologies that have latched onto The Matrix, a film she and her sister Lana always intended as a transgender allegory.
In a recent podcast interview, the director expressed a mix of bemusement and resignation over right-wing groups co-opting the film’s iconic “red pill” concept.
While she admits the misreadings can be frustrating, she believes an artist must ultimately let their work go into the world.
Wachowski pinpointed the issue as a classic tactic of fascism: appropriation.
She explained that right-wing propaganda routinely mutilates and absorbs left-wing ideas to obfuscate their true meaning.
The original intention, she clarified, was to create a narrative about transformation and breaking free from a false reality, a story that has profoundly resonated with the trans community.
For Wachowski, the ultimate solace is hearing from fans who say the films saved their lives, a powerful testament to the story’s true, enduring message of liberation.
