The Matrix franchise is one of the most well-known and popular movie collections in history. Through the talents of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lawrence Fishbourne, and many others throughout the four-movie collection, audiences follow Neo’s journey alongside Trinity, Morpheus, and others to free humanity from a simulation controlled by self-aware machines. But the creators, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, layered a deeper meaning throughout the first film and subsequent installments. Begin Transmission by Tilly Bridges explores and explains in detail how The Matrix saga speaks to the trans experience and its significance for the community. 

The author, who is also a trans woman, begins with the first movie and takes the reader through labeled timeframes where they can follow each scene and read the analysis in tandem. We learn what the colors symbolize among all four films (plus the animated series The Animatrix). Red is truth, blue is doubt, and yellow is fear. From those details alone we can’t help but notice when and how those colors appear. They speak to Neo’s emotions throughout his journey. And his journey begins with his realization that he is trans, and his following transition (and sadly, de-transition and re-transition). 

Not only are colors important in the series, but also the characters. In Begin Transmission, readers learn that Trinity is Neo’s self-actualization, and Morpheus is his subconscious, just to name a couple examples. Once we can understand that Trinity is the end goal for Neo, the story arcs created by the Wachowskis are more meaningful. For example, the Oracle is Neo’s heart, and she always knows the truth. After doing a rewatch, readers will surely notice the very obvious aspects of what the movies are trying to say about society and the trans community. Even two decades later with the release of The Matrix Resurrections, Neo’s heartbreaking journey continues. We see more layers and more truth into how society’s acceptance (or lack thereof) affects the trans community at each step in their experience. 

Personally, The Matrix movies went right over my head. Each time I thought I was beginning to understand what the heck was going on, it seemed as if I was reminded how wrong I was. However, reading it in this context, learning how the entire saga was an allegory for an oppressed minority group, I was able to better understand the message and the deeper meanings behind the characters and cinematic choices. 

The downsides to Begin Transmission lie only with the format that Bridges chose for her analysis. When you are reading a timestamped breakdown, scene by scene, all pointing out various aspects of a bigger picture, over the course of four movies and an animated series, it gets very redundant. If I was more of a fan of The Matrix, or wasn’t late to hop on the bandwagon, I likely would have been more invested in the breakdown that Bridges provides. However, it was hard to get through the entire book. That’s not to say it was uninteresting. I actually really appreciate the opportunity to read this book, and learned more about the trans experience as a result. While anti-trans readers will certainly feel like they are being force-fed this narrative, I would say they probably need this analysis the most. 

Tilly Bridges joins us on The Nerd Cantina Show podcast to talk about her experience publishing her first book, and the research involved in going down the rabbit hole. Keep an ear out for an upcoming Cantina Conversation episode and preorder Begin Transmission, available June 27.