Tell It Like A Woman – Movie Review
Director: Lucia Bulgheroni, Silvia Carobbio, Catherine Hardwicke, Taraji P. Henson, Mipo O, Lucia Puenzo, Maria Sole Tognazzi, Leena Yadav
Writer: Lucia Bulgheroni, Silva Carobbio, Krupa Ge, Catherine Hardwicke, Mipo O, Lucia Puenzo, Shantanu Sagara, Giulia Louise Steigerwalt, Chiara Tilesi, Leena Yadav (Screenplay)
Cast
- Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns)
- Marcia Gay Harden (The Mist)
- Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
- Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives)
- Anne Watanabe (Platinum Data)
Plot: Tell It Like a Woman is a feature film comprised of 7 short stories whose common denominator is the representation of female protagonists. Each of these very different women face a particular challenge in their life with extreme determination and courage that makes them stronger and more self-aware.
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Tell It Like a Woman
Pepcy & Kim (D. Taraji P Henson)
Pepcy & Kim follows a woman Kim (Hudson) in prison trying to keep the focus on her child. She has her own problems with her drug addiction, and her cellmate suggests joining her in a rehab program. Kim gets selected for the program as the warden looks to help her understand her problems and split personality.
This is an impressive start to the stories. It dives into the reason why people have turned to drugs, through a spiral of abuse. Jennifer Hudson is amazing in the leading role giving us an excellent dual role. This shows that stories need to be heard if anyone is ever going to be healed. 5/5
Elbows Deep (D. Catherine Hardwicke)
Elbows Deep follows Doctor P (Harden) who is one of the volunteer doctors helping homeless people during Project Roomkey. This was a project to help the homeless during Covid, giving them shelter in hotels while they were close. One of the more difficult clients is Validation (Delevingne) who has her own mental health problems. The Doctors work to help Validation, checking on a wound, as Validation reveals what led her to this condition.
This story gets to explore the amazing effort a real doctor put into her community. It might only dive into one interaction she had but it shows how much she puts into giving back. This is a nice peep into the work of an incredible woman, but we could have seen much more of her work. 4/5
Lagonegro (D. Lucia Puenzo)
Lagonegro follows Ana (Longoria) as she heads to Corsica. She is a busy businesswoman needing to put her life on hold after her sister’s death. Ana gets a surprise that her sister had a daughter and she has been left guardianship. She is left in a difficult situation one that will change her life forever.
This is a much more personal story about accepting unexpected responsibility. It shows a family that has been split coming together after death and learning to adapt to the changes coming their way. 3/5
A Week In My Life (D. Mipo Oh)
A Week in My Life follows a mother (Watanabe) as she prepares her two children for school, going through her morning routines. She heads to work at a busy café and returns to collect her youngster child. Then, she prepares dinner and prepares for the rest of the day. The routine is brutal and demanding and we follow the week in her life.
This is an amazing example to show how difficult being a single parent is. It shows how much work is put into it and how much of their own life they must give up. This gets to show how mundane life can become but it is important to make sure the children come first. 5/5
Unspoken (D. Maria Sole Tognazzi)
Unspoken follows a veteran nurse Diana (Buy) who finds herself accidentally working over her daughter’s dinner and watching her skating video. She tries to get a replacement so she can leave early but her patients need her. However, the last patient proves to be a difficult case and she is torn between the two worlds.
This is an incredibly difficult story to see unfold, showing the hidden message and signs women can look out for. It shows that a small message can give out the biggest message and support is everything that is needed. 5/5
Sharing a Ride (D. Leena Yadav)
Sharing a Ride follows Divya (Fernandez) as she looks to get a ride home at night. She gets a Rickshaw that she must share until she hears the message being instructed to the female passenger. Divya is a cosmetic surgeon by day and helps people get what they need. She has a strict manner about her and finds herself getting distracted easily by the memories of the ride home.
This dives deeper into Divya’s obsession with an appearance from her own routine right up to her job. It isn’t just what she wants to look like but what she imagines others will see in her. This takes us on a strange journey through the story. 3/5
Aria (D. Silvia Carobbio)
Aria followsa robotic figure that must follow the instructions it sees in a camera. This changes when it gets a small glimpse into a world outside its window and learns of the bigger world outside. The robot continues to evolve in the new world, helping others escape their trapped worlds, as they continue to see what is really outside.
This is a beautiful animated journey about escaping a trapped work. It might well be the shortest one of all the stories, it has so much more we could have seen from the adventure. 3/5
Final Thoughts –Tell It Like a Woman is a brilliant selection of short stories.
