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This series, guest programmed by curators Zehra Zehra and Kilo Kish, explores how we can reimagine the American Dream to include women of color and their hopes and desires, while exploring new ways of dreaming. Zehra and Kish write:

This film series is an extension of our curatorial and artistic... practice to use music, visual mediums, and the moving image to explore themes of identity, belonging, and home. The works demonstrate the importance of looking at intergenerational stories with curiosity around the perspectives and nuances within the American feminine experience and our relationships to beauty, success, freedom, and power in the United States. Cinema remains one of the biggest distributors of American culture, and we aim to bring forth narratives that are often overlooked.

This series presents a selection of eight feature films that grapple with themes of longing, existence, and desire and serves as an exploration of the self, the other, our obsessions, and the intricate interplay between being seen and unseen. The films offer nuanced perspectives on how women of color navigate the complexities of our nation’s systems and institutions. Through these narratives, we gain insights into the delicate relationship between the American Gurl and her identity, and how one can be both lost and found.

List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Seeking Mavis Beacon (2024, USA) - Jazmin Jones + Olivia McKayla Ross

• Donna (2023,USA) - Keenan MacWilliams

• Watermelon Woman (1990, Canada) - Cheryl Dunye

• Be Back by 3 (2024, Canada) - Aliyah Dominque Jefferies

• The African Desperate (2022, Canada) - Martine Syms + Rocket Caleshu

• Woman’s Work (2012, Canada) - Ja’Tovia Gary

• Hala (2019,USA) - Minhal Baig

• Grace (2024, USA) - Natalie Jasmine Harris

• Zola (2020, USA) - Janicza Bravo & Jeremy O. Harris

• Chutney Popcorn (1999, USA) - Nisha Ganatra & Susan Carnival

• The Queen of My Dreams (1999, USA) - Fawzia Mirza

• B.A.P.S (1999, USA) - Troy Byer & Robert Townsend

• Girl 6 (1996, USA) - Spike Lee & Suzan-Lori Parks

• Bounded Intimacy (2024, USA) - Ayanna Dozier

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Seeking Mavis Beacon

Seeking Mavis Beacon is a genre-blurring excavation of a cultural ghost. Spanning fact, fiction, and collective imagination, this film traces the legacy of the typing software icon to explore Black representation, digital folklore, and the shifting nature of identity in the information age. Directed by Jazmin Jones, with Olivia McKayla Ross, the film becomes a meditation on the search itself—an urgent reclaiming of memory, media, and presence.

Donna

Donna, directed by Keenan MacWilliam is an autobiographical film that documents a woman’s search for... her birth mother, only to find herself. The film raises questions about identity, family history, expectation, the fallibility of human memory, and the role performance plays in our daily surroundings.

Watermelon Woman

Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman is both a historical intervention and a witty, deeply personal coming-of-age story. Dunye stars as Cheryl, a young filmmaker in 1990s Philadelphia obsessed with uncovering the truth behind an enigmatic 1930s actress known only as “the Watermelon Woman.”

With its playful yet pointed critique of race, sexuality, and media gatekeeping, the film reclaims space for Black queer women in cinema while questioning who gets to write history. Decades later, its impact endures—not just as a pioneering work, but as a vital reminder that visibility is always a battle fought in layers.

Be Back by 3

Be Back at 3 While embarking on a journey to buy water ice in West Philly, two women reach a tipping point in their secret relationship as they celebrate their unbeknown final day together.

The African Desperate

Palace Bryant (Diamond Stingily), a Black artist on the cusp of graduating from a prestigious MFA program, endures one final absurd day of microaggressions, pretentious critiques, and overwhelming expectations before spiraling into a chaotic, drug-fueled odyssey.

Martine Syms’s The African Desperate is a razor-sharp, satirical fever dream dissecting the contradictions of the contemporary art world. Through biting humor and surreal realism, Syms captures the existential exhaustion of being both fetishized and dismissed in elite creative spaces—offering an unflinching meditation on race, class, and survival in the avant-garde.

Women’s Work

Women’s Work documents the creative process of Simone Leigh, a Brooklyn-based sculptor and video artist, offering a quiet, observational portrait of artistic labor directed by Ja’Tovia Gary.

Hala

Minhal Baig Hala is a quiet yet deeply resonant portrait of adolescence, identity, and cultural negotiation. Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan), a Pakistani American teenager, delicately balances the expectations of her conservative Muslim family with her own stirrings of independence and desire.

As she explores first love, literary ambition, and hidden family truths, Baig crafts a coming-of-age story grounded in subtlety and emotional truth. Hala lingers—not as a tale of rebellion, but as a meditation on the vulnerable, often painful process of carving out one’s own path.

Grace

Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the 1950s South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, Grace contemplates her budding romantic feelings… toward her best friend, Louise.

Zola

Based on A’Ziah-Monae “Zola” King’s iconic Twitter thread, Zola follows a Detroit waitress (Taylour Paige) on a chaotic road trip to Florida with a free-spirited stripper (Riley Keough)—a journey that quickly spirals into a dangerous, disorienting underworld.

Directed by Janicza Bravo, Zola is a wild, genre-bending ride through digital-age storytelling, pulsing with neon dreamscapes, chopped rhythms, and surreal detachment. At its core, the film is about freedom—holding onto yourself amid noise, chaos, and exploitation.

Chutney Popcorn

This warm, witty dramedy reimagines family through the lens of queer identity and cultural expectation. Reena (Nisha Ganatra), a New York–based Indian American lesbian, volunteers to be a surrogate for her sister, only to face a cascade of familial tensions and personal reckonings.

What begins as an act of love becomes a journey of redefining motherhood and belonging. A trailblazing entry in queer South Asian cinema, Nisha Ganatra’s Chutney Popcorn is as much about breaking tradition as it is about finding new ways to honor it.

The Queen of My Dreams

Fawzia Mirza looks back on her childhood enchantment with Bollywood heroines and their promise of love and feminine perfection in her queer re-imagining of the epic romance from the 1969 classic film Aradhana.

B.A.P.S

Written by Troy Byer, this feel-good comedy reimagines the rags-to-riches tale as a vibrant celebration of Black femininity, ambition, and friendship. Best friends Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle) dream of opening a hair salon and restaurant in Decatur, Georgia. When an unexpected opportunity takes them to Beverly Hills,... their journey becomes a hilarious lesson in loyalty, self-worth, and defying class expectations. Initially overlooked by critics, the film endures as a cult classic, beloved for its joyous sisterhood and unapologetic embrace of Black women’s right to take up space—glitzy, gold-plated, and entirely on their own terms.

Girl 6

Spike Lee’s Girl 6 follows an aspiring actress who, after facing repeated rejection, takes a job as a phone sex operator—only to confront the blurred boundaries between empowerment, performance, and exploitation.
Written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, the film echoes her signature experimental style and fierce interrogation of Black womanhood. Paired with Prince’s iconic soundtrack and Lee’s electric direction, Girl 6 explores identity and voice in a world that profits off fantasy.

Bounded Intimacy

Part of the It’s Just Business, Baby trilogy of Super 8mm shorts, Bounded Intimacy examines the histories of various forms of body labor across the Chelsea and Tribeca districts that were renowned as a site for sex work, sex clubs, and illicit sexual activity.

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American Gurl: home — land interrogates our relationships with the land we inhabit, examining how experiences with the natural world influence our understanding of self. This iteration further explores the concept of home, how locations shape our identities and reflect on themes of diaspora and displacement, revealing how these narratives inform our collective connection to place.

List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Hija de Florinda - Shenny De Losangeles & “IIritu”

• Triangle Trade (2017, USA) - Cauleen Smith

• Words We Don’t Say (2022, USA) - Ella Ezeike

• Rain (1978, USA) - Melvonna Ballenger

• The Siren’s Lament (2025, USA) - Melvonna Ballenger

• Shakersss.mov (2025, USA) - Solange Knowles

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Hija de Florinda

Hija de Florinda is a poetic offering, meditating on the spiritual connection between protecting the land and protecting our children.

Set in the Florida Everglades, a young Naomi learns from her grandmother how to nurture nature’s grief through the ancestral practice of controlled burns. By integrating archival footage of Dominican farmer and abolitionist Mama Tingo (Florinda Soriano), this film invites us to mourn alongside Ma Earth as she calls upon all of her children.

Triangle Trade

Three puppet avatars navigate three distinct worlds that at once isolate them and offer them the possibility of transformative connection. As they move through their respective landscapes, each puppet reflects on Blackness as a state of becoming, a mode of experience that reaches simultaneously into multiple futures and histories. Created during a year of cross-border conversation on relationships to land and belonging, Triangle Trade is a collaboration between filmmakers Jérôme Havre, Cauleen Smith, and Camille Turner.

Words We Don’t Say

Words We Don’t Say is about the complexities between father and daughter relationship. The nuances. The lack of vulnerability within a complex dynamic and how it impacts them both. It’s about the words we don’t say but wish to.

The Siren’s Lament

Who, or what, can become the physical manifestation of a history of violence? The Black Atlantic as a site of drowned histories. This site is uncolonized, unseen, echoing the sounds of its disruption. It is its own metamorphosed maroonage. The creation of an underwater decolonial ecology in direct opposition to the forces that wish to extract the world of its resources and humanity gives way for an imaginary arch of the Caribbean world; an ontological split between bios & mythoi within the apocalypse of the middle passage. It is from this site that a siren, hybrid human and born from a woman underwater who was thrown overboard in the middle passage while pregnant, emerges from the Black Atlantic and proceeds to haunt the 13 colonies. After a fateful meeting in the woods, an enslaved woman seeks petit maroonage after self emancipation with assistance from the siren.

Shakersss.mov

Shakersss.mov is a short VHS film directed by and starring multidisciplinary artist Solange Knowles. In this self-documented piece, Solange offers a devotional, inward gaze, presenting the film as a moving liturgy of praise expressed through her nomadic life and personal rituals.

Through praise dancing, water dancing, tree dancing, altar dancing, two stepping the cha-cha slide, bell ringing, pyramid gazing, sun staring, neck and back rolls, Solange conveys reverence for self, God, and the exalted mother Yemaya, emphasizing our profound connection to water and its vital role in existence.

The film also serves as a diaristic exploration of self-perception, as Solange reclaims the gaze, centering the intimate power of bodily and spiritual autonomy. Often using the home as a studio and workshop she invites us into the first day in her new home, creating choreography in a backyard shed as a spiritual beckoning for new beginnings—both artistic and personal.

Rooted in her identity as a proud Houston native, Solange examines “home” not only through her travels but also through the cultural and spiritual ties shared between Black and Mexican communities. Inspired by revolutionary artist Elizabeth Catlett, Solange spent time in Yucatán, Mexico, engaging in transformative traditions and practices that shaped her approach to carrying intention and reverence into the everyday.

For Solange, home transcends physical spaces, carried instead in objects, sounds, movement, and the solitude of personal devotion. Shakersss.mov is a poetic celebration of finding sanctuary and spirit within oneself, wherever the journey leads.

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Womxn in Windows’ 4th annual public exhibition (2022) comes to New York and Los Angeles in the month of October. This year's exhibition takes on a different format to past years. From Windows to Digital Billboards, Screenings, Performances and a Print Campaign.

Based on interdisciplinary artist and performer Kilo Kish’s latest music album of the same name; 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘶𝘳𝘭 the public exhibition shows “...the idea of the American girl is far from singular.”, says Zehra Ahmed - founder and curator of Womxn in Windows.

𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘶𝘳𝘭 is an exploration of pop culture, fantasy and consumerism through the lens of Americana and womanhood that aims to subvert the traditional ideas of the American Dream and reimagine them for the future.

“With these pieces, I am interested in exploring how we can reimagine the American Dream to include women of color along with our hopes and desires. These moving images represent the intersection of our past and present, exploring new ways of dreaming through their fusion,” said Kilo Kish.

List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Softer (2021, USA) - Ayanna Dozier

• Just Say (2022, USA) - Christelle de Castro

• Ho Yeon as The International Woman of Mystery (2022, USA) - Christine Yuan

• Hoop Dreams (2022, USA) - Kasey Elise Walker

• Death Fantasy (2022, USA) - Kilo Kish

• Kitty’s World Getting to the Money (2021, USA) - Kitty Ca$h

• This is Marawa (2020, USA) - Leila Jarman

• iGurl (2022, USA) - Sarah Nicole Francoise

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Softer

𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 examines the demands of “softening” that are requested of Black women’s bodies in society—from job prospects to romantic ones—be that in their voice, their manners, and, critically, their hair. The experimental short plays upon the grooming rituals of softening that are terrifyingly rough through a recreation of a permanent wave machine produced perm (popular in the 1930s-1950s). The short mediates on the historical ways in which Black women have tried to answer this demand on softness through respectable appearance and behavior.

“𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳, but strong in its critique of society, vivid imagery and music. The male voice over in this film is a harsh reminder of how men have always assumed authority in relaying women’s beauty to an audience” - Zehra Ahmed

Hoyeon as The International Woman of Mystery

This film was commissioned by Vogue for their cover star Hoyeon Jung. The film was written and directed by Christine Yuan.

This film might be about the playful and charismatic Hoyeon but it is also about Hollywood and America. Hoyeon, a Korean who rose to fame through her role in Squid Game, is now an international woman of mystery. The title really makes us question, what defines one as International? Is International just another name for ‘American’, without taking away another’s cultural identity. The questions are endless which is why we are presenting the range of videos to keep this conversation going!

Hoop Dreams

The short film explores the vibrant colors of South LA through the eyes of Savannah Walker, an 8 year-old, African American girl who idolizes her mother’s resilient strength and mystical, golden hoop earrings. Walker's fear of speaking publicly in poetry class leads her to steal her mother's hoops with a belief that they'll help her overcome anything. Ultimately, her mother’s golden hoops transport her into a world beyond her greatest imagination.

“The powers within you baby!” This film ends on the note that defines it. Whimsical, dreamy yet determined is what this film is. It transports us all to our childhoods regardless of where we grew up reminding us of the fears we all once had and how some of us through beauty and pop culture overcame them and defined ourselves.

Just Say

Just Say is a music video directed & produced by de Castro for her best friends, twin musicians; Coco & Breezy. It is a dance-centered film particularly honoring the genre of house. It is a window into Christelle’s world, one that is eclectic, soulful, and celebrates the spectrum. This film was self funded by Christelle & the artists and made possible with the contribution of friends, both in front of the camera and behind the lens.

“The video is fresh out of the editing studio and it puts us in a good mood while acknowledging the people directly involved with creating cultures that play a large role in defining the American Girl globally. Usually such artists are often not credited for their work and influences. It’s so exciting to see folx producing their own work and for their people before someone takes it away from them.” Zehra Ahmed

Death Fantasy

WxW 2022 artist and co-curator Kilo Kish, shares the title and ideas of her concept album 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙧𝙡 for this years annual exhibition. Her music video “Death Fantasy” serves as a manifesto for her album 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙧𝙡, which is an exploration of herself as she attempts to grasp who she is without the gaze of others. In her music video “Death Fantasy”, we see Kish aimlessly running and at times, writhing around the grounds of a motel in Los Angeles wearing a @batshevadress crafted out of an American flag. The eerie, hypnotic lyrics and melody depict the introspective state Kish has been in.

This is Marawa

This experimental mini doc is all about @marawa ! Marawa is another International girl, her father is Somali, her mother Australian and as a child she lived between Australia, Papa New Guinea and the Middle East. Marawa now lives in Los Angeles, making her an American girl. We live for the multi-hyphenate American girls. The imagery goes through the gamut of an Americana aesthetic, the 50’s, 70’s and 80’s with a hint of west coast modernism mixed with an acid trip. Leila really captures the energy of the multi faceted and passionate Marawa through the various aesthetic choices and manipulation of footage.

Kitty’s World: Getting to the Money

“Getting To The Money” by Kitty Ca$h invites viewers into the artist’s mental landscape; through the 3D character, Kitty has an open discourse on achieving the American Dream through financial literacy and hip hop culture. This episode features live action guests featuring Aleali May, Amber Khan, Modern Blk Girl, and Beverly Beal.

Kitty’s world was created during the pandemic, through her avatar she created a bridge between generations, made sure everyone was having fun, taught some lessons to Gen Z, addressed hard social conversations and honored the Black Lives Matter movement.

iGurl

Serving as a commentary on the everchanging “IG Baddie Aesthetic” sublimated in our cultural landscape. The tide for what is deemed attractive is shifting quicker and quicker and the expectation to keep up becomes heavy as technology progresses and social media influence spreads. Simultaneously, the access to change on how we look is instant as a fast food order. For those who relent to the demands of the tides, what are the consequences of these heavy expectations? How is this affecting our collective psyche as we get closer and closer to the Uncanny Valley?

Sarah’s work on first look is provocative and sometimes unsettling. The questions she presents through her work are as relevant as they come. Who is the real Sarah? This is the essence of her work, merging digital spaces with reality.

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Womxn in Windows, a platform whose mission is to share the perspectives of women of color through video art, film, and performance, presents American Gurl, an ongoing curatorial project featuring work that explores all shades of American Dreaming. Co-curated by Zehra Zehra and Kilo Kish, American Gurl continues themes from Kish’s musical work sharing the same title. This installment of the project will take shape as a film exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los AngelesHaH that will present eight films by intergenerational artists with curiosity around the perspectives and nuances within the Black feminine experience and our relationships to beauty, success, freedom, and power in America.

“...the idea of the American girl is far from singular, which is why this is an ongoing curatorial project where we hope to show as many shades, nuances and perspectives of the American girl.”, says Zehra Ahmed - founder and curator of Womxn in Windows. American Gurl is an exploration of pop culture, fantasy and consumerism through the lens of Americana and womanhood that aims to subvert the traditional ideas of the American Dream and reimagine them for the future.

“With these films, I am interested in exploring how we can reimagine the American Dream to include women of color along with our hopes and desires. These moving images represent the intersection of our past and present, exploring new ways of dreaming through their fusion,” said Kilo Kish.

This exhibition, includes: Ayanna Dozier, Ja'Tovia Gary, Kilo Kish, Savanah Leaf, LaJuné McMillian in collaboration with Marguerite Angelica Monique Hemmings, Lorna Simpson, Martine Syms and Carrie Mae Weems.

The eight films presented examine the complex relationship, reception and circulation of Black bodies within popular culture, literature, spirituality, and through political and social discourse. Without offering a single answer or position, but emphasizing nuance and polyvocality, the works elucidate our relationships to beauty, success, freedom and personal power in the United States. Read more about the filmmakers and their films.

The exhibition and its complimentary performance programming are a play lab for reflection, connection and celebration from our unique perspectives, acting as mirrors to see our nation more clearly and completely.

List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Death Fantasy (2022, USA) - Kilo Kish

• Antidote (2021, USA) - LaJuné McMillian in collaboration with Marguerite Hemmings

• Kita Meditating (2021, USA) - Martine Syms

• Afro-Chic (2009-2010, USA) - Carrie Mae Weems

• The Institute (2007, USA) - Lorna Simpson

• Forever Your Girl (2022, USA) - Ayanna Dozier

• run (2023,USA) - Savannah Leaf

• Quiet as it’s Kept (2023, USA) - Ja’Tovia Gary

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Death Fantasy

WxW 2022 artist and co-curator Kilo Kish, shares the title and ideas of her concept album 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙧𝙡 for this years annual exhibition. Her music video “Death Fantasy” serves as a manifesto for her album 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙧𝙡, which is an exploration of herself as she attempts to grasp who she is without the gaze of others. In her music video “Death Fantasy”, we see Kish aimlessly running and at times, writhing around the grounds of a motel in Los Angeles wearing a @batshevadress crafted out of an American flag. The eerie, hypnotic lyrics and melody depict the introspective state Kish has been in.

Antidote

Antidote takes the form of a video work and website that considers the liberatory capacities of movement, and how the healing of our bodies, lands, and movements can be enacted inside of virtual reality technologies. The work investigates how virtual reality and motion capture technology can mirror the technologies of our ancestors and our bodies. Antidote features a sound score by Rena Anakwe.

Framing Antidote is a virtual land acknowledgment authored by Hemmings, McMillian, creative technologist Salome Asega, and Afro-Indigenous activist Amber Starks (aka Melanin Mvskoke). Together, they address the colonial contexts that frame human relationships to both land and cyberspaceJust Say

Meditation

Meditation, 2021 is from Martine Syms’ Kita’s World series, which was initially exhibited in her solo exhibition Loot Sweets at Bridget Donahue in 2021. In the series, an animated avatar, Kita, enacts the performances of everyday life in a hyper-digitized world, playing roles ranging from meditation guru to cultural commentator.

Forever Your Girl

Forever Your Girl acts out the loss of childhood innocence and desire through a hypersexualized subject (performed by Dozier) attempting to ride a carousel kiddie ride. Due to Misogynoir, girlhood is often an accelerated path to becoming an adult where innocence and bodily agency are denied and any attempts to return are simultaneously deemed inappropriate and unobtainable. Crackling in Super 8mm film and inspired by soft-porn aesthetics with the distressed audio of found sounds produced by Dozier alongside synth music by artist and noise musician C. Spencer Yeh, Forever Your Girl dissolves expectations: the anticipated imagery and familiar mood of pornographic content. Instead the work is undone by violence of both the film’s aesthetics and through unplanned interruption that itself becomes as cyclical as the carousel.

Afro-Chic

Weems explores female identity and standards of beauty in her video Afro-Chic. The women in the video, of varying ages and body types, strut down a runway to the soundtrack of Sanctified Lady by Marvin Gaye with the power and confidence of runway models. Behind the models is a photograph of the Black power activists Angela Davis and Huey Newton, proponents of the “Black is beautiful” movement. The work evokes inner female beauty and power, accepting the natural appearance and diversity of women.

The Institute

“In creating that split-screen work, Simpson used footage from a promotional film produced by an institute in Wichita, Kansas; there, students with learning and speech disabilities were, presumably, “rehabilitated,” which is to say, socialized. On the right side of the screen we see Barbara, a young disabled black woman who has difficulty speaking; on the left side of the screen we see various white women holding children. We hear Barbara in dialogue with a speech therapist; she’s claiming or trying to claim her voice and thus her identity. But we don’t know what the white women sound like. In the drawings, the actresses are further silenced—they’re figures in the silent world of a drawing. But what does it mean to take an actress’s voice from her? An actress’s voice is her writing, her means of interpretation. What interests Simpson in her drawings is her own interpretation, her line of thought reaching from Barbara, who is real, and extending to the white women on the other side of the segregated screen, women who are a performance.” -Hilton Als

Run

‘Run’ is a meditation on the Black female body. As an Olympian and former professional athlete, Savannah turns the camera on herself and draws into question the significance and value of her own physicality in a societal and personal context. It explores the emotional toll that her changing form has had on her own life as both an athlete and artist.

Quiet as it’s Kept

Quiet As It’s Kept is a contemporary cinematic response to The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison’s first novel, published in 1970. Set in Ohio in 1941, the book is an evocative illustration of the everyday particulars of colorism and its ravaging effects on the intramural. Themes of embodiment, psychoanalysis, and beauty are explored in both the source text and the answering film. Instinctual and eviscerating, the film encourages viewers to make meaning that is rooted in the subjective and examine their position within looking relations. The film is an intimate collage of vintage Hollywood, direct animation, original super 8 and 16mm film footage, and documentary conventions. Meditating on the gaze and Black women’s particular embodied realities, Gary also re-contextualizes contemporary social media footage. Creating conceptual links for each viral clip to a character, event, or thematic element from Morrison’s story, the film emphasizes questions around the book’s themes of internalized and externalized anti-blackness in contemporary culture.

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Netflix’s Sex Education captures the zeitgeist of today's youth generation. My friends and I easily see ourselves in the teenage characters’ deeply personal arcs, from Aimee learning to heal from sexual assault to Eric navigating tension with faith and sexuality. 

When co-protagonist Maeve Wiley unexpectedly receives news of her mother’s fatal overdose in the final season, I remembered what it was like for me when I learned my dad had passed. Losing a parent brings a very specific type of grief. When there is a complicated relationship with the parent, the grief becomes even more specific. 

Sex Education depicts tragedy in a nuanced and honest light without sensationalizing or romanticizing it. Death education is an effort to normalize the discomfort of the universal truth of dying. I needed to see Maeve’s specific grief shaped by poignant duality, including the overwhelming sadness of the void left behind by a parent's absence and the unexpected relief that can accompany the end of a relationship fraught with childhood trauma. 

“It's not uncommon for people to feel relief, particularly when there's childhood trauma,” says Dr. Jean Milburn, a sex therapist and mother to Maeve’s boyfriend. 

My father spent his life tunnel-visioned by survivability as he exchanged his time and spirit for money. I resented him for prioritizing work over me and yearned for a functional family. As his mental health slipped throughout the years from unresolved trauma, I found comfort in his absence over his overbearing sad demur that came with his presence. 

When my dad flatlined in the hospital, I was consumed by fatherlessness. It became part of my identity. I felt both everything and nothing without self determinism. Yet, I missed him entirely. 

“I hate her for everything she put me through, but I miss her with every cell of my being,” says Maeve in her speech at her mother’s funeral. 

I felt closer to my dad after his death and understood him more — my father was a marigold and a desert storm at the same time. He was one of the reasons I was here and I loved him despite the complicated history we shared. I grasped that missing him has to coexist with continuing life. This new state catalyzed me to move out of my family’s home, solo travel the world, and begin therapy. I felt my dad’s prayers everywhere as I took greater risks and dedicated myself to personal development. I committed to learning from his life and honoring him by integrating grief. 

The Death Positive movement urges people to speak freely about grief and experiences tied to dying or experiencing someone dying. Maeve's spectrum of emotions is a good example of how unique and ubiquitous reacting to death and change is. Beyond simply accepting death, the movement wants people to critically engage with the systems and conditions that lead to deaths resulting from violence, a lack of access to care, and systemic oppression — Maeve’s mother’s death is tied to class struggle. Systemic poverty often traps residents of trailer parks in cycles of drug addiction, making it incredibly challenging for them to access the necessary resources for recovery and rehabilitation. 

There is no exact formula to handle losing a loved one, but the lack of healthy media representation isolates people who are grieving even further. Portraying death on television thoughtfully and realistically is a social responsibility. By approaching grief narratives with sensitivity and depth, shows can foster empathy, encourage open discussions, and offer viewers a chance to reflect on mortality. Destigmatizing conversations around death prepare us as a society to proactively navigate the unfamiliar feelings and intricacies we are bound to face — and as Jean says to Maeve, “it is okay to cry, it really is.”

About Nancy Uddin

Nancy Uddin is a Muslim artist based in New York City. She often explores identity, culture, and wellness in her writing. Nancy has bylines in Dazed, Vogue, and HuffPost. She values change, impermanence, and infinite love. 

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When Spooky Season comes to town, it can be overwhelming for those of us who value the sillier things in life. Monsters, ghouls, and goblins take over screens everywhere. Movie nights are no longer welcoming if you’re afraid of the dark- popcorn is only for the brave. Clowns are even scarier than usual! There is only one thing that can save the faint-of-heart: comedic relief. To put it plainly, a horror flick is nothing without a good bit. There is a beautiful intersection between Silly and Scary.

List of Selected Films

• Switch Seats with Me - 2023

• Tooth Fairy - 2023

• Bowling 4 Eva - 2023

• Jewelle: Just A Vision - 2022

• Chlorine - 2022

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Switch Seats with Me: The Fourth One - directed by Sophie Larin, Karis Bongiorno, Si Si Boudoin

Switch Seats With Me started as a collaboration between roommates and has blossomed into a production team of writers, directors, musicians, cinematographers, artists, journalists and some silly little comedians— a group of radical collaborators. This Halloween our sketch comedy group, premieres its fourth episode, shot entirely on an iPhone. This installment takes a hilariously ridiculous turn, delving into the spookiest scenarios you can imagine. From zombification to an offbeat possum autopsy and an obsession with sticky notes that goes too far— we all know that guy. This wacky Halloween episode promises non-stop laughter. But that's not all - we've got some incredible guest stars to add to the fun! Look out for Maleek Rae from HBO's 'Random Acts of Flyness' in 'Monsters in the Closet' and Kiaya Scott, fresh from Broadway's 'Harry Potter: The Cursed Child,' in 'I’m Gonna Kill my Boyfriend.' Don't miss this comedy extravaganza - it's a Halloween laugh-fest coming out on the Switch Seats with Me youtube channel this October 31st! In the meantime catch up on episode three!

Tooth Fairy - directed by Abigail Marshall 

Marshall secured her film’s spot in our Silly and Scary Soirée of sketches with the opening wide shot of her protagonist eating a bowl of cereal. The usually mundane activity evokes immediate discomfort in the viewer. The sound of the actor’s chewing and swallowing feels intense and endless. Finally, she bites down on the spoon, dislodging a tooth. We learn that fallen teeth bring good fortune, but how far will she go to keep up her coin? Marshall showcases the way to make an audience squirm in their seats, completely engaged. Silliness is required to make something truly scary, and the sprinkle of absurdity that Marshall adds to this short is expert. Watch it here:

Bowling 4 Eva - directed and written by Aelfie Oudghiri

This genre-bending dark comedy took the East Coast film festival circuit by storm. The piece plunges you into a chat room with teen “Christina”, portrayed brilliantly by Olivia Claire Liang. Recently put on suicide watch, Christina wanders through the film. She out-creeps a pedofile, has a meaningful visit with her grandpa, and survives a medication-induced multimedia dream ballet. The animation, starring a bowling ball and its graphically slaughtered pins, is exceptionally unnerving and undeniably hysterical. Oudghiri’s vision and execution are deeply original and truly innovative. 

WATCH HERE

Jewelle: Just A Vision - directed by Madeline Lim with the help of the Lesbian Herstory Archives 

Documentarian Madeline Lim unearths the fascinating and sultry history of author, activist, playwright and queer icon Jewelle Gomez. Lim’s telling gently outlines Gomez’s childhood, advocacy during the AIDS crisis, and sensual Black lesbian vampire novels which launched her narrative writing career. The most beautiful scene in the film is about Gomez’s relationship with her partner. She and her wife tell the story of their fated romance. Over the audio from their interview, we see the two of them laying side by side in bed. The camera follows Gomez’s fingertips as they trace along her lover's arms. When I attended the NewFest screening of the documentary, an audience member was brought to tears reflecting: “...it’s important that they see us hold each other and love each other. Especially at our age”. Gomez is now 75, still happily married, and consistently creating stories and spaces in which queer folks can thrive. 

Chlorine - directed by Cameron Kit 

Brooklyn-based sci-fi enthusiast, Cameron Kit, takes a simple concept and spins a high-anxiety romp about a girl harnessing her power for the first time. Chlorine begins with a young girl in a pool with her friend. They joyously share their “sick pool tricks” with each other, nailing handstands, flips and somersaults. When our ingenue comes up for air, she suddenly finds herself in a new backyard. Her friend has vanished. She has mysteriously teleported into a completely different pool and its owners do NOT appreciate the “sickness” of her tricks. Realizing her accidental abilities, she frantically flips herself from pool to pool, trying to find her way home. In her director’s statement Kit explains: Chlorine dissects body and self acceptance issues, which are exacerbated at the pool for many young women (...). In the final scene, she is calm and serene, at peace with herself and in control of her surroundings.” 

Si Si is an actor, director and filmmaker based in NYC. Their most recent projects include leading in "I'M SO SORRY BABY"  a film by Friday Anderson. Writing, directing, and producing  a radical sketch comedy web series; Switch Seats With Me directing developmental staged readings in collaboration with theater companies such as MCC, Sanguine Theater Company, and Those Who Wander NYC, dramaturging a new space opera: Ellipses, directing Camille Thomas's  pAreNt pLus lOan, and director of JJ Maley's I'm (Also) Not that girl. They have also worked with The LGBTQ Center in coalition building and The Next Generation Project for the advocacy of TGNC folks across the state of New York. They hope to use storytelling as not only a medium for creating change, by facilitating joy and belonging.

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A core memory in my childhood was dipping biscuits into chai while I watched Thakumar Jhuli cartoons, also known as Grandmother’s Bag of Stories. The most terrifying episode featured Shakchunni, a formidable figure in Bengali folklore. Shakchunni sent shivers down my spine as she laughed maniacally and rotated her head 360 degrees. Her shrill voice gave me goosebumps as she divulged her plan to kidnap and take the place of a Brahmin man's wife. The episode is just as terrifying to rewatch as an adult, except now I was filled with questions. Why was her primary motive to be married? Why are her feet backwards? And who in society does Shakchunni represent? The answer I got from Google was that in her past life, she was an unsatisfied woman because she passed without getting married. This answer felt incomplete so I spent lots of time digging for answers. As I continued to explore her lore, it became clear to me that painting this entity as merely a jealous and lustful demon does us all a disservice.The Thakumar Jhuli cartoon sends subtle messages to young kids to conform to a specific set of ideals with political undertones that I did not catch until I was much older. For example, the specification by Shakchunni that she wished to live as the wife of a Brahmin man to live a happy, fulfilling life. This implies that Shakchunni was of a lower-caste in her past life and this fulfilment was not offered to her then.  Women and young girls are consistently put under a microscope to determine their marriageability– their entire identities tied to whether or not they will earn good husbands. Those who do not conform to these ideals are demonized.

Shakchunni has several names across South Asia: chudail, churrel, pichal peri,etc. What is consistent are her backwards feet, a relentless pursuit of retribution, and her hypersexualization. It turns out that in her past life, her ‘dissatisfaction’ did not only come from her unmarried status. Her untimely death could be caused by the abuse she endured at the hands of a man, whether it be a husband or a family member. Her feet stand as potent symbols of her torment, shattered and contorted, rendering escape futile. She comes back as a vengeful spirit living in a showra gaach, or a sandpaper tree, as she waits for her next victim to pass by. This shapeshifter takes on the image of a beautiful woman to seduce lecherous men but in her true form she is clad in a revealing sari, her complexion is a sickly green, and her unruly mane has been compared to pubic hair – she is so hideous that it makes your blood turn cold. Similarly to Medusa, if she beckons a man to look upon her, his doom is sealed, although he can secure his escape by steadfastly walking away and never glancing back. Shakchunni serves as a warning to men to lower their gaze, and a warning to women to comply, so as not to turn into her. 

There is a deep-rooted layer of misogyny in many folklore and cultural narratives of succubi1 which often shifts the blame onto women. Shakchunni’s narrative focuses particularly on unmarried women who are sexually liberated or independent. This narrative effectively diverts attention away from male responsibility and perpetuates harmful stereotypes about women who are perceivably defiant. Take, for instance, the Thakurmar Jhuli cartoon, where the married woman gets possessed after letting her hair down instead of keeping it in a bun, defying the dictates of her mother-in-law. The way a woman wears her hair is extremely significant in Bangladeshi culture. Letting one's hair out sends a message that they are loose and trying to be seductive, whereas if her hair is tied up or braided she is well kempt and is presenting herself modestly. This storyline reflects the societal standard imposed on married and marriage-seeking women to adhere to a specific mold of behavior and appearance. In contrast, Shakchunni has coarse flowing hair; Shakchunni ultimately captures the woman by her hair, a terrifying image and message to send to young viewers. Such narratives inadvertently contribute to victim-blaming, suggesting that women who are abused or sexually violated somehow earned such treatment. Now for the PG-13 version of the story we don’t see in Thakumar Jhuli. What does Shakchunni actually do with her victims? After seducing a lecherous man who wanders near her bush - I mean tree - she will drain his vitality through sexual encounters. If fortune favors the man, he may survive, albeit as a withered old man upon returning to the village. Thus, Shakchunni gets her retribution and she probably saves other women from facing violence from the men she traps. As feminist as this appears, it is crucial to note that women's sexual liberation and bodily autonomy is still not widely celebrated. It was thought that only lower-caste women can become Shakchunnis if they died an unnatural death, which highlights the insidious influence of Brahmanical patriarchy within this folklore. The Breast Tax, also known as mulakkaram, casts a dark shadow on this narrative. It was an oppressive head tax imposed by the Kingdom of Travancore (modern day Kerala) on lower-caste women who covered their upper bodies. At the tender age of fourteen, girls were coerced into paying this tax, and non-compliance resulted in brutal punishments, including public beatings with hot iron rods. Perhaps performing sexual acts with men until their death is part of Shakchunni’s revenge.

During pre-colonial times, witches in Assam2 held respected roles in communities. Primarily, they held roles as healers and custodians of indigenous power approached them to address various social issues, including the treatment of epidemics. These healers were not specific to any gender, however the introduction of British Victorian gender norms began to cast feminine power as dangerous and uncontrollable. The European Church's beliefs that empowered women were seen as potentially possessed by evil spirits aligned with upper-caste Hindu notions of the destructive powers of goddess Kali3. In the Thakumar Jhuli cartoon we see that Shakchunni has powers that help her to perform her duties as a wife efficiently along with the kidnapping and what not. In contrast, the scary male sorcerer who drinks blood as soon as his character is introduced is supposedly the hero in the story. These two depictions show how differently the genders are portrayed when they have powers.  Socio-economic factors also played a significant role in the villainisation of witches. Land, a key factor of production in indigenous and rural communities, was primarily passed down to male heirs, leaving widows without property rights. As the British imposed their power and seized land from upper-caste men, conflicts over property rights fueled insecurities in village communities. Witch hunts targeted widowed women with properties, who were accused of witchcraft to strip them of their land. Thus further marginalising women who dared to appear independent of men. 

As a Bangladeshi, the concept of having my worth tied to a man was one part of my culture that had never aligned with me. At the age of twelve, I made a bold declaration to my family: I would not be living to get married. My proclamation was driven by my growing annoyance of hearing my grandmother's persistent coaxing, urging me to learn specific chores, all in preparation for a future husband I hadn't even met. In a culture where young girls are relentlessly conditioned to live under the constant scrutiny of their marriageability, I wanted no part of it.

It's fascinating to realise that my defiance makes me similar to Shakchunni, a figure of folklore often associated with transgressing societal norms. The stories we pass down through generations shape our perceptions of each other, and the weight of our unacknowledged collective pain matters deeply. My journey may not involve supernatural transformation, but it is a transformation of the mind and spirit, a commitment to challenging oppressive traditions, and a resolute stride toward unveiling patriarchal lies.

Nova A.

Born and raised in NYC, Nova is a multi-hyphenate who has combined their love of intersectional stories with their passion to uplift them at Womxn in Windows. They are the social media manager and strategist. Outside of WxW, they are a model and actor. Currently they are working on their screenplay.

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List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Blinded by the Light (2019, USA)

• CODA (2021, USA)

• English Vinglish (2012, India)

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008, USA)

• As We Hold Hands (2022, USA)

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Blinded by the Light

Blinded by the Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha, is a film based on the true story of a repressed British Pakistani teenager, Javed, who struggles choosing between the pressures from his religious Muslim family and his dreams of becoming a writer. As the audience embarks on the journey with Javed as he goes through the lows of life enduring racism and battling cultural expectations, he comes out of the darkness with deep hope and reminds us all just how beautifully large our lives could be. Blinded by the Light shows us to look within, and like Javed, find our light.

CODA

CODA is an Oscar Award winning film directed by Siân Heder as it explores the story of a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby, is the only hearing person in her deaf family. The story unfolds as Ruby increasingly becomes frustrated with her overwhelming responsibilities in her family of fishermen and feels guilty when she wants to pursue her love for music. The film is charming and sweet as the characters are vibrant, but CODA leaves the audience in tears as it shows how love can transcend against all odds and inspires us to chase our dreams. 

English Vinglish

English Vinglish is a Hindi speaking film, directed by Gauri Shinde, about a Indian housewife, Shashi, that is often belittled by her children and husband for her traditional lifestyle and faces a life changing journey when she travels to America for her niece’s wedding. This story shows how multidimensional housewives truly are as we watch Shashi’s fears, desires, and lively essence. While the film has a sense of sweet kookiness, we are left rooting for Shashi in her passage towards self discovery. English Vinglish brings a smile to our faces with its whimsicalness while encouraging that it is never too late to fall in love with ourselves. 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, directed by Sanaa Hamri, is a seaqual and based on the best selling book series as it portrays the stories of 4 close friends embarking on separate paths in their new lives in college and a summer that changes them all forever. Each character struggles with changes and starts becoming distant with one another while coping with their new environments. While we watch the 4 friends find themselves through heartbreak and discoveries, this iconic film shows that although change is daunting and scary, what waits for us is a lifetime of joy.

As We Hold Hands

As We Hold Hands is a short film directed by Clementine Narcisse about a model who falls in love with a photographer as they venture around New York City together. This dreamy short film is a sweet sapphic story that reminds me of the summer nights when the sky turns into cotton candy. Narcisse shows us the tender joy of falling in love in New York City. While the film is short, I found it never wanting it to end!

When you find yourself in dire need of softness and lightness, we hope that these films will motivate you out of your funk and ensure gentleness. All of the protagonists in these films ventured in a journey filled with grief and pain, but all came out discovering something deep in themselves. Through whimsical joy, silliness and even a bit of kookiness, these films will leave you feeling good!

Fabliha Yeaqub is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and community organizer based in New York City. She is the cultural organizer for Arts & Democracy where her main focus is cultivating a safe environment for immigrant youth to creatively express themselves through art and culture. Fabliha is also the founder of the Marigold Seeds Collective, a grassroots organization for LGBTQ+ South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans. She has been featured in multiple publications such as Teen Vogue, NBC News, and more. Fabliha utilizes the many facets of her identity in her writing and believes storytelling is a powerful tool to heal souls. You can check her website, Instagram, or her Substack! 

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No one told us that adulting would be a ceaseless carousel of bills to pay, food to cook, toilet paper to afford, and stocks to invest in. At the same time, no one told us that adulting means we have to shelve our Barbie dolls, pass her on to the next generation, or closet her magic. Barbie captures the spirit of what we hope for in our own lives - to remain forever smiling, forever aspirational, and forever popping off. She reinvents herself every year, adapts to the times, learns from her mistakes, and has become a conduit for our desires, heartbreaks, trials, and triumphs. 

The upcoming Barbie the Movie is almost too gauche to be camp, but it’s by design. It’s the opposite of escapism. Just like grown ups, Barbie needs to come of age and face the hard questions in life. It’s a call and response to our very adult craving for make-believe and magic, by first reminding us just how human we are. 

Here’s the good news: Barbie dolls don’t expire. This means long after we have left the movie theater, we can continue to release stress, step out of our lives, and become the best versions of ourselves by dusting off our Barbie dolls and letting them back into our lives. What’s the storyline going to be? Crime and corporations? Girlbossing too close to the sun? Ken-on-Ken violence? The magic of Barbie never fades, it simply transforms along with us. So when we get home, let's dust her off, because the only thing more interesting than Barbie's world is our own. Here is a taste of the possibilities of playing with Barbie far beyond the big screen:

This Barbie isn’t full of herself…

                                …she just ate her twin in the womb!

This Barbie is self destructive and spiraling…

                                …but she romanticizes the depth of her personality on an existential meme account and has monetized her mental instability by selling cute personalized merch from drop ship storefronts!

This Barbie is running for office…

                                …and her platform is universal Klarna debt forgiveness.                               

This Barbie knows how to use ChatGPT…

                                …but she mostly used it to gaslight her boyfriend, who kind of deserved it because he told her he had feelings for her best friend, and “handled it” by forcing them to end their friendship so he could manage the temptation.

This Barbie has worked the same job for 12 years…

                                …and she is still always the work bridesmaid and never the work wife 🙁

This Barbie felt “funny” when she saw two girls kiss in 4th grade…

                                …and now she passes out old DVDs of “But I’m A Cheerleader” at the chiropractic practice she opened with her girlfriend, and troubled teens come out to her regularly.

This Barbie has transcended the attention economy…

                                …by running eight miles every morning with no headphones. Please like her Strava posts to support her journey.  

This Barbie has liquid assets…

                                …which are the three different beverages she buys everyday as a little treat for making it to lunch without impulsively resigning. 

This Barbie is confused gender-fluid for genre-fluid…

                                …which just means she reads both psychological thrillers and elevated true crime while on her all-inclusive beach vacation booked through Costco.

Barbie isn’t the only one who yearns for reinvention and a place in our adult lives. Ken and the best friends have a place with us too:

This Ken is not a virgin…

                                …but he thinks Barbie can get pregnant if she gets into a hot tub when it’s her time of the month.

This Ken is a nepo-baby…

                                … unfortunately he also got his mom’s typecast chin, so he can’t book anything until they make a b-list sequel of her movie about her washed-up family life 20 years after she married her crush from the original movie.

This Ken is a method director…

                                …he thinks CGI is cowardly and is currently working with NASA to film his gay space cowboy movie on Mars. Everyone in his movie will get extra credit for being their own stunt double.

This Ken broke open his piggy bank…

                                …and immediately converted it all to crypto. 28 years of birthday and tooth fairy money is going to make him a millionaire soon!

This Best Friend is a really good ally to the LGBTQ community…

                                …she made out with Barbie on a Pride Parade float to support her while she was questioning her sexual orientation. Don’t worry though, she’s totally straight!

This Best Friend is a polyglot…

                                …she speaks all five love languages fluently, especially words of affirmation. Although she cannot be trusted to give an honest opinion after she didn’t stop you from bleaching your eyebrows. At least she’s an excellent hype-woman!

This Best Friend is a business-owner…

                                …of an essential oil pyramid scheme. No one can say she isn’t generous because she didn’t force Ken to make a downpayment on his stock after he broke up with his boyfriend and needed a distraction from weeping. Ken has since found love but still owes her $3600 for the oils he never sold.

Swati Sudarsan

Swati Sudarsan was the runner-up of the 2022 So to Speak Contest Issue and is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and she has received support from Tin House, the Kenyon Review, Kweli Journal, and Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Her work can be found in McSweeney's, Catapult, Denver Quarterly and more. She edits at Moot Point Magazine and lives in Oakland, CA, where she works as a public health scientist.

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This summer is Barbie’s summer. It’s the summer when we finally get to know what Barbie cares about by watching her on screen. Kistchy plot and half the world’s supply of pink paint will tell us, finally, what makes her happy, what breaks her magic, and what keeps her up at night. Seems long overdue, given that children have been playing with, sleeping next to, destroying, and buying Barbie for over 60 years. 

 Barbie came into the world as a fully formed woman but an icon-in-the-making on March 9, 1959. She was ahead of her time, with full breasts (unheard of for a child’s toy at the time), 90’s pencil thin brows, and an iconic side eye whose legality is still questionable. She was invented by a mother who wanted her child to play with an adult doll. One that represented her highest aspirations, rather than a baby doll made to roleplay motherhood. 

This seems noble, but it seems to have set up Barbie for an existential crisis. For Barbie to represent a dream, didn’t she have to know her own?

Since 1959, Barbie has gone through hundreds of iterations as she tries to find herself, define her dreams, and show children what they can be. The problem was, Barbie was created for commercial success. She had to be sellable to the masses, not break glass ceilings on their faces. Some ideal aspirations for earlier Barbies included: trophy first lady of the United States (see Red Flare Barbie inspired by Jackie O.), lounging and gossiping (see Malibu Barbie, who debuted in 1971), and making her hair a personality (see Totally Hair Barbie).

The upcoming Barbie movie is the first time Barbie seems to have truly thought about what she wants. Breaking the mold, going on a quest, and asking the scariest questions her plastic brain can think of. We love it for her! Barbie the Movie ushers her into a new era that pushes past heteropatriarchal expectations and queers up the fun she is allowed to have. Not only for her, but also for Ken, who came onto the scene in 1961, for Christie, her BFF who debuted in 1968, her little sister Kelly, who debuted in 1995, and all the BFFs and Barbie avatars of past, present, and yet to be imagined.

And of course, as much as Barbie has girl-bossed throughout the years, we have to acknowledge that Barbie has also gone to the edges of girl-flops. For the sake of nostalgia, here are some of Barbie’s most unhinged moments:

• 2002 - The year Barbie’s less hot but more relatable BFF, Midge, took center stage.

  • Midge debuted in 1963 and had a husband, Alan. She already had a three year old son when the pregnant version of the Midge doll was released. This doll had a detachable belly containing a little baby inside, which Mattel claimed could be a teaching tool for families (never mind the anatomical inconsistencies). Some parents and toy store executives were incited, claiming that this married, consenting adult doll was promoting teenage pregnancy. Midge and her husband Alan were retired, but are back for the tell-all in Barbie the Movie.

• 2011 - The year Barbie finally wished Ken a Happy Birthday but made it all about herself. 

  • This doll was released for Ken’s 50th birthday, this Barbie comes holding a teensy-weensy present (probably as small as the fucks she gives about him) and a gigantic ball gown. Kudos to her for stealing the show. Interesting take by Mattel though, who chose to make Ken’s birthday a battle: toxic positivity vs. toxic masculinity.

• 2008 - The year Barbie got pooped on.

  • Mattel released the Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Birds Barbie, depicting Barbie being pecked to death by crows. I understand the drive to goth Barbie up. Horror movies can be hot for sure (hello Jennifer’s Body and Possession). But this one did Barbie dirty, and not in the filthy, sensual way of horror movies. Next time, we’d love to see a final girl Barbie, please!

And as much research as we did, we have yet to see these canon moments for Barbie:

• 2003 - The year Barbie caught Ken making out with Ken in the locker rooms and she listened to Toxic by Britney Spears on a loop until graduation

• 2005 - The year Barbie was gifted a vibrator and she coincidentally also stopped missing Ken

• 2012 - The year Ken married Ken, with Barbie officiating the wedding

• 2015 - the year Barbie used an empty 2002 Midge as a surrogate to have a baby as a single mother

• 2018 - the year Barbie got her appendix removed at Claire’s while her baby got its ears pierced

• 2021 - the year Barbie hosted the first ever Barbie Convention and met every version of herself. She also took shrooms, believed she was in a simulation, and later had a panic attack against the wall of a porta potti

• 2023 - The year Barbie decided to use her shrooms experience to make a Barbie movie

Swati Sudarsan

Swati Sudarsan was the runner-up of the 2022 So to Speak Contest Issue and is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and she has received support from Tin House, the Kenyon Review, Kweli Journal, and Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Her work can be found in McSweeney's, Catapult, Denver Quarterly and more. She edits at Moot Point Magazine and lives in Oakland, CA, where she works as a public health scientist.

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“Hey Barbie!”

“Hey Barbie!” 

“Heyyyyy Barbie!”

Thus opens Trailer #2 of Barbie the Movie. One thing is for sure about Barbie - she contains multitudes. We have met some of them through the Barbie movie campaigns: the Pulitzer Prize winner, the doctor, the lawyer, the mermaid, and the President. However, the Barbie trailers might have been the first time we felt a form of Barbie sonder - the realization that every Barbie’s life is as complex and intricate as the only Barbie we will get to know. 

It’s hard to ignore the fact that every Barbie has main character energy. Every Barbie could hold up a movie of her own. To celebrate the upcoming film, and hold space for the myriad Barbie stories we won’t get to know from just one movie, below are some spin-offs, adaptations, and franchises we hope to see in the future:

The Cast:

• Barbie #1 - This is the original Barbie. She goes by Barbara and is the woman responsible for creating a matrilineal BarbieLand. She rules her queendom with an ethylene-vinyl acetate fist. She gives both MOTHER and Mother-in-Law. You can recognize her because she has the perkiest boobs in BarbieLand, and also an inexplicable mullet.

• Midsommar Barbie - This Barbie second-hand murdered her boyfriend, but she is so earnest that you can’t help but think, “Good for her!”. She’s in a cult, but kind of likes it. Hang with her enough, and she might seduce--*ahem* convince you to join too. She comes with a blood-stained white dress, flammable hut, and flower crown. The accompanying Ken doll comes extra tan from his time in the summer solstice.

• Sk8r Grrrl Barbie - This Barbie is basically the pride flag of BarbieLand. What gives it away? The beanie of course! She can blade, bike, scooter, and skateboard, which makes her skatepark skills as fluid as her sexuality. Her hair turns blue if you dip it in water. Her first bath was her queer awakening.

• Oppenheimer Barbie - Forget about fandom rivalry, this Barbie is the Oppenheimer X BarbieLand crossover episode. In this episode, war doesn’t exist, and the only mass hysteria is excitement over Barbie’s contributions to science. This Barbie invented pink puffy clouds to float in the Earth’s atmosphere to prevent the impending climate crises. A side effect is that it rains (compostable) glitter and dollar bills every week. 

• Yogi Barbie - This Barbie has a record 22 moveable joints, including knees, ankles, hips, and toes. Not only that, but she comes with pores so she can sweat it out during hot yoga. This Barbie invented the concept of an anabolic window to convince everyone to buy her homemade bee pollen protein smoothies, which she sells at the wellness bar of her local yoga studio.

• Bad Haircut Barbie - We’re not sure if this is a Barbie, or Angelica’s (from Rugrats) Cynthia Doll. Only two things are for sure about this Barbie: she is on psychedelics and can do the splits. She screams often.

Now that we’ve met the Barbies, let’s take a look at how they live their lives. We hope when you buy their dolls, you will know exactly how to roleplay with them.

The Morning Routines:

• Barbie #1 - This Barbie wakes up with her makeup perfectly intact and curls impossibly bouncy. She stands under her shower without any running water, because she already smells like heaven. She snaps her fingers and the perfect outfit appears. She grabs breakfast with her best girl, Barbie #2, but doesn’t eat anything. She hasn’t eaten since 1959, which is how she maintains a body too skinny to hold up her head. She commutes to a job that she doesn’t actually have, because she doesn’t need money for anything. She head bops to Barbie Girl by Aqua on her commute.

• Midsommar Barbie - It remains mysterious what this Barbie does all morning. Sometimes screams can be heard coming from her sleeping chambers. We think she might take an ice bath just to feel something. You have to join her cult to know more. 

• Sk8r Grrrl Barbie - This Barbie starts every day proud to be gay. She kisses up to fifteen girl Barbies, or as many as it takes to get one to question their sexuality too. Then she greases the wheels of her roller blades and reshaves her undercut before she bravely, yet authentically, heads out the door.

• Oppenheimer Barbie - This Barbie could have been a tortured genius, but she is literally too busy being fabulous to attempt evil world domination. Instead she codes while she brushes her teeth and solves theoretical physics equations on a waterproof notepad in the shower. She drinks eighteen cups of coffee for breakfast and irons her clothes while she’s wearing them on her body as a power move. After all, she is the face of women in STEM.

• Yogi Barbie - This Barbie wakes up and takes her angel number (888) of cleansing Ujjayi breaths before she even opens her eyes. She brushes her teeth with an organic, all-natural brush (it’s just a twig), and writes affirmations to herself in her ancient grain alphabet cereal. Before she showers, she burns her custom vagina-scented candle as she blends smoothies to sell after class.

• Bad Haircut Barbie - This Barbie uses pruning shears to recut her hair. She sharpens the scissors on her nails (or sharpens her nails with the scissors?). She breaks open fountain pens and uses the ink inside to draw on eyeliner and angry-coded eyebrows.

And finally, some speculation on their individual storylines, because let’s be real, all these Barbies deserve their own movie.

The Motivations:

• Barbie #1 - This Barbie is on a classic hero’s quest to figure out the meaning of life and death, not so she can be a better person, because to transcend the constraints of BarbieHood. That’s right, no one puts this Barbie in a box. She is going to codify morality in BarbieLand and transcend from MOTHER to God.

• Midsommar Barbie - This Barbie is going to a therapist speed-dating event, but she’s not looking for personal growth, self-expression, or fulfillment (she has the cult for that). This summer she wants to recruit therapists into the cult because they: 1) encourage others to find a community that helps them grow (into a beautiful queen of the summer solstice), 2) believe that strong boundaries create safe space (to carry out sinister rituals without law enforcement around), and 3) know the value of getting rid of a toxic ex (by killing them). 

• Sk8r Grrrl Barbie - This Barbie is on a quest for love. She wants not only to have a big fat lesbian wedding, but also wants to be gay divorced by the time she is 40.

• Oppenheimer Barbie - This Barbie’s life has been bleak since childhood, when it was prophesied that she would cause worldwide suffering. Her unbending feet/faith in herself and love for the color pink have kept her from turning evil, but Barbie is getting burnt out on toxic positivity. On the night the prophecy is meant to come true, she invents time travel, which takes her to the noir world of the 1940s. Here she must explode the crystal ball containing her future, before she explodes something much worse.

• Yogi Barbie - This Barbie knows happiness and success can be manifested, just look at her life! Her next goal is noble: she wants to make karmic abundance and tantric zen available to everyone. She’s on a mission to manifest manifestation, preferably in powder form which can be added to her smoothies and sold alongside ozempic, semaglutide, jade vagina eggs, and whatever else wealthy people think will make them feel fulfilled.

• Bad Haircut Barbie - This Barbie wants to become a drug. Microdose her by watching her part of the movie one second at a time.

Swati Sudarsan

Swati Sudarsan was the runner-up of the 2022 So to Speak Contest Issue and is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and she has received support from Tin House, the Kenyon Review, Kweli Journal, and Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Her work can be found in McSweeney's, Catapult, Denver Quarterly and more. She edits at Moot Point Magazine and lives in Oakland, CA, where she works as a public health scientist.

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I experienced my first rave at sixteen years old, which was also my first time out in full drag dressed as Miley Cyrus with a foam finger, trying to bum cigarettes. Under Myrtle Broadway I spotted a group of gothic kids clad in black on the floor in front of the Market Hotel – spiked hair and hot glue holding studs on their shoes. One of them looked at me and asked “what are you doing tonight?” before I could ask for a light. I flipped my barely glued on wig over my shoulders and said, “whatever the kids are doing.” I thought I ate them up with that, but they laughed. One of them told me there was a rave around the corner, and to find the boy that was dressed like them. I followed their direction, and found myself standing in front of a Texas Fried Chicken off the Gates stop on the J train. 

Walking into Texas Fried Chicken at three am seemed seedy, but the budding inner club kid felt an adrenaline rush as I opened the store to puzzled customers, who saw me in terrible drag. The cashier motioned over his shoulder to walk through the back, past the line cooks. Beyond frozen chicken legs and buns, a goth boy sat by the freezer. Let me just say this now, if the person doing the door at the function looks like an anime super villain, you're going to have the best party of your life. The boy with spiked hair and a ball gag marked my wrist. I had never heard music so diverse, so multi genre and so genuinely adored by every patron in the space. There was no fixed scene: trans girls with unreleased Gypsy Sport bags, crust punk kids chugging Four Lokos, and Dominican men resembling my Tios smoking a massive blunt. It felt free, and safe…meanwhile I was in the back of a Fried Chicken Joint.

Tourists searching for a warehouse rave in Brooklyn, or those roaming around Times Square hoping to find some type of culture, are looking in the wrong places. As a NYC Native Drag Queen, I have stumbled upon almost every kind of underground party. There’s a reason why the kids call it the underground, because these functions quite literally take place in abandoned lots, the woods, train carts, or empty storefronts. Party collectives like GHE20G0TH1k (pronounced Ghetto Gothic) were the playground for now-famous names like Asap Rocky and Hood By Air's Shayne Oliver. These spaces allowed BIPOC and Queer folk to experiment with music, fashion and other pleasures of the night. The NYC underground scene flourished during the financial depression of 2010 when Venux X disrupted conventions (especially since we believed the world would end in 2012). The world didn't end – obviously, but it ushered in a newfound freedom for Black and Brown alternative communities. This blueprint for the modern underground scene thrives on sex and art positivity, with few rules except for outliers.

Now most of the Club Kids from that era are all working professionals…so who are the kids today? I created a list of the Modern Day Underground Icons (from my professional Drag Queen opinion), and the parties they throw. But first, I want to tell you how you can naturally discover these spaces for yourself. You wouldn’t find it on a flyer on the wall, but if you saw a group of stunningly dressed gays with Telfar bags sitting on a bench somewhere, theres a good chance they’re going out that night to the BEST parties. Most of the underground scenes have their own aesthetic, and it helps if you have a personal interest in extending yourself past a typical binary. If you want to find the underground scene you have to be receptive to ALL walks of life. 

This led me to think, why are so many of these Parties lacking the diversity, energy and freedom that my first rave did? Then I remembered who threw this event, and the kind of person that allowed me in. Looking back at it, there was probably a door fee, but I realized being in Drag meant that I was given a free ticket. Not because I’m pretty, which I definitely wasn't back then, but because in these spaces they protect Trans Femme and POC. There is an importance in understanding your crowd, and how to also keep these spaces safe while allowing the parties to have freedom. The underground scene is so impactful because the modern day Queer and BIPOC do not have many moments to simply play and have fun. This is why I wanted to ask a handful of my friends who are currently curating some of the most impactful underground movements, and their advice to other party throwers that want to take a lesson from these spaces. 

8 ways of the Underground

1. The Lineup -  Answered by Kenni Javon from Dick Appointment

What performers do you book? Do you book based on headliners? Is there a certain type of lineup you like to curate?

“We only book DJs and performers of color. I don’t personally think headliners are important for our brand. I don’t really like using the word headliner because I believe everyone we book is extremely talented; some just have a larger following than others or have been doing it longer than others. In my opinion we’re all headliner potential.”

2. The Kids -  Answered by Soo Intoit from Critical Hit and Omega Party. 

Do under 21s attend your parties? If so, what attracts this crowd? How do the club kids act in these spaces?

“Yes! It is a huge part of our brand. They’re energetic and excited to be there. The main thing that attracts them to CRITICAL HIT is the all ages aspect—options for a techno party in NY that’s not 21+ are pretty limited! Secondly, I think our video game themes and actual PS2s that we bring to every event, particularly appeals to younger people. Many of them may not be used to going out to parties and socializing with strangers, and often end up dancing alone or standing against a wall at other parties. Having this activity included, and free to all ticket holders, gives those young people something to bond with strangers over.”

3. The Venue - Continued by Soo Intoit from Critical Hit and Omega Party.

What spaces do your events happen in and why are they important?

“Trans-Pecos is our home base, and has been for the past 19 months. It is important to us in that it’s all ages, meaning younger queer and trans people who I want to create space for can attend. Now, when I say younger, we still highly recommend people who attend to be 18+. Also, the venue and I have fostered a strong relationship, and they are very receptive and respectful, so I do think they’re important!”

4. Who is not allowed entry? - Answered by Maxwell Vice from Market Hotel, Trans Pecos, Nowadays, Heaven or Las Vegas, and Superchief Gallery. 

Are your events selective to certain audiences (ie. cis white people paying extra, free tickets for BPOC Trans Folk, Exclusive to only scene folk, etc)?

“I’ve worked so many parties in the past decade that I have a very simple, routine answer to this question. Different parties require different accessibility, and paying extra as a cis white person ensures the safety of your fellow Trans POC peers. For example, if you are attending a predominantly Trans Femme event where most of the audience is a BLPOC, they might ask you as a white cisgendered hetrosexual person to pay an extra $5-$20 for this space. This isn't a derogatory payment, or ‘white people dues’, but it's simply acknowledging privilege and how it can simply be used to protect Black Trans Folk. Think of it like this, if every cis person paid an extra $5 to get into the Drag Show, those extra $5 per person can help to provide a ticket to a Trans POC person. Those extra funds make sure our Trans POC talent takes rides home safely. It ensures that the young Queer Kid of color looking for a place to find themselves can find an affordable way of accessing the community. Every extra dollar any whiter or cis-ser person has to pay, only follows through in protecting and uplifting Trans and Black folk. Usually, if a person has an issue with this concept at the door, I ask them for even more money, because it's obvious they don't understand where we're coming from. No one is denied at the door at most venues I work at,  but some people we ask more from if they have the resources. It's how we keep our community safe, and allow White Cis folk to participate while also giving equity to these sacred spaces.” 

5. The Police - Answered by HELLTEKK and ButcherBaby from the HELLTEKK INC Collective.

Have you dealt with police during your events? How do the police and underground relationship affect the overall safety of an event?

“We’ve had to deal with police at our free events before. When they do show up we try to go and speak to them before they make it to our party goers which isn’t always the case. We let them know we’ll pack the event up as fast as we can and for them to not be so aggro towards our party goers, as we have already alerted them that it’s time to leave. It’s not easy dealing with the police because there is a difference in power between us.  We try to be as cooperative as we can because we want our party goers to make it home safe and our equipment to not be confiscated. The relationship between the police/ underground scene is and will always be splintered. Even with us being cooperative with them, we’ve still had to deal with aggressive behavior from the police for hosting a free party for people.”

6. The Promotion - Continued by ButcherBaby from the HELLTEKK INC Collective.

What is the best way to promote your event? Is word of mouth better than online marketing?

“The way we usually promote these events is by first giving people a heads up that there is an event happening at a certain date on our Instagram story. We get a flier and video done for the event which we end up posting on the main feed/story and then on our personal pages - whether it’s the artists on the lineup posting it, or the all members of Helltekk posting it. Promoting our event by word of mouth we think is very helpful! Every other event we go to we usually end up sharing our upcoming events, and inviting people to come through and spread the message that all are welcome to have an amazing, memorable night!”

7. Drug Use Precautions? -  Answered by Pauli Cakes from X Cakes

Does your collective have drug safety resources? How do people consume substances safely at these events?

“​​I think there are many different answers to this question. These days, I try to stray from using the word safe when pertaining to drugs and most things in nightlife. I think its always important to remember that drug use is unpredictable like most things in life. We should always expect the best but be prepared for the worst, which is why harm reduction practices are so important. In some cases safer drug use can be in the hands of the person using it, especially when it pertains to quantity. However, the reality of it is that everyone has a different experience with drugs and sometimes drug related emergencies result from a small dose. I guess I can’t really confidently say that people are using drugs in a safer way at every event. Having drug safety resources at my parties is very important to me. I strive to have harm reduction resources such as fentanyl testing strips, free water, narcan, snacks and safer spaces monitors at every event I throw. I also do research on the nearest hospitals in case of an absolute emergency. I  make sure that I’m in the headspace to hold space and take responsibility if somebody is having a drug related emergency.”

8. The Dolls - Continued by Pauli Cakes from X Cakes 

Why are Trans and Queer Folk important to NYC’s underground scene?

“Trans and queer folks are the pioneers of New York city nightlife, period. Spaces like tunnel bar, studio 54, The Limelite and many others that existed before our time were the stomping grounds of the icons who crawled so we could dance. NYC has always been the epicenter of queer nightlife. In the 60s and 70s, queer nightlife spaces played a role in shaping the gay liberation movement. Music in my humble opinion is fluid - it’s non-binary, it’s queer and trans as f—k. Queerness is joy and joy floods the space that queer and trans folks pioneer.”

The Covid-19 pandemic reignited the fire in NYC’s Underground scene, with more collectives emerging each day. There are numerous ways to engage with this world, even beyond the parties. These collectives organize daytime vendor fairs, online digital raves, movie nights, fashion shows and much more but … the underground does it better. Don't just perceive—participate. Check out the collectives I’ve interviewed. Whether you're a club kid, drag queen, crust punk, baddie or doll, you can find your own path through the underground and discover who you become on the other side.

About Maxwell Vice

Maxwell Vice is a Non Binary NYC Bushwick native artist, most known for their journalism and photography documenting Queer and Alternative culture. After working in the nightlife scene from sixteen years old, Vice has acquired a name as one of the upcoming Club Kids who takes the freedom of expression from the underground into the mainstream corporate world. They aim to use fashion, photography and journalism to uplift QPOC voices and to archive the authenticity of these communities.

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Pride is a month dedicated to the empowerment and commemoration of the LGBTQ+ community as it honors 1969 Stonewall Riots, where brave trans sex workers rioted for the rights and freedom of queer and trans folks. During this month, we celebrate our identities in a world where we are forced to hide ourselves. The queer and trans community is vibrant with a diverse range of stories and backgrounds, and these movies show just that. Through the powerful tool of storytelling, these 6 films portray beautiful and revolutionary stories of queer and trans folks. 

List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Fire - Deepa Mehta (1996, Toronto)

• Pariah - Dee Rees (2011, USA)

• Margarita with a Straw - Shonali Bose (2014, India)

• Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire, Too - Janet Baus and Su Friedrich (2013, USA)

• Close Knit - Naoko Ogigami (2017, Japan)

• Al Nisa: Black Muslim Women in Atlanta's Gay Mecca - Red Summer (2013, USA)

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Fire

Fire is a 1996 film directed by Deepa Mehta. The story explores the lives of two sister in laws living together in a joint household, trapped in loveless and cold marriages with their husbands that ignore them. Together, the two women deepen their friendship for support and connection but as their allyship grows, it ignites a fire of passion. After the film was released in theaters, uproars of vicious riots immediately broke out and ultimately led to the film getting banned in India. But 27 years later, Fire still stands as a South Asian queer classic and created a pathway for more LGBTQ+ stories to be told. Fire portrays a heartbreaking and beautiful story, forever sparking a fire of desire in us all.  

Pariah

Pariah, released in 2011 and directed by Dee Rees, is a coming of age film about a Black teenage girl living in New York City learning to embrace her identity as a lesbian while living at home with her conservative mother. The story portrays Alike, who often feels like an outsider, struggling to navigate her family’s and societal pressures of what it means to be a Black woman through the lens of femininity while also grappling with the expectations of being a butch lesbian. Rees brings to light the complexities of gender, race, and sexuality and beautifully intertwines them together through pain, poetry, and joy. 

Margarita with a Straw

Margarita with a Straw, directed by Shonali Bose, is a powerful story about a determined young woman with cerebral palsy who leaves India to study in New York City. But on her journey towards self empowerment, the protagonist, Laila, falls in love with someone she least expects. As we follow Laila in her struggle coming to terms with bisexuality as a disabled Indian woman in the West, Bose portrays the difficult layers through light heartedness, charm, and endearing love. In Margarita with a Straw, Bose addresses multiple stigmas of ableism, homophobia, and so much more while leaving us all, like Laila, feel empowered.  

Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire

Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire, Too is a groundbreaking documentary filmed and edited by Janet Baus and Su Friedrich, about the Lesbian Avengers, a group of activists based in New York City fighting for lesbian rights in the 90s. The documentary gives a rare insider look into the lives of bold and brave lesbians who were committed to queer liberation. Baus and Friedrich interviews the members of the Avengers and sheds light onto the lives of women whose stories are often forgotten and dismissed. Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire, Too doesn’t shy away from its rawness and bold candidness as it unapologetically gives an insightful look into the hardships that occurred during the movement. The documentary is a reminder of the importance of archiving and how we all must honor our ancestors that came before us that gave their lives for our freedom.

Close-Knit

Close-Knit, directed by Naoko Ogigami, is a Japanese film is a story about a young girl, Tomo, who moves in with her uncle and his trans girlfriend, Rinko, after being abandoned by her mother. As the story unfolds, we witness love growing softly between Tomo and Rinko as she becomes a mother figure in her life. Close-Knit is touching and deeply moving as it shows through Tomo’s and Rinko’s gentle love about the importance of chosen family and celebration of our trans elders. 

Al Nisa: Black Muslim Women in Atlanta's Gay Mecca

Al Nisa: Black Muslim Women in Atlanta's Gay Mecca is a provoking documentary, filmed by Red Summer, about five women that came together to establish a community for Black Muslim lesbians in Atlanta. Summer interviews Black Muslim lesbians from different walks of life in their journey towards intertwining their Muslim faith and their lesbian identity. The documentary is a beautiful exploration of a community that is often overlooked and uplifts them through honest and healing storytelling. 

While each of these films displays different stories and narratives within the queer and trans community, it shows just how multifaceted our identities are. From heartbreak, grief, self discovery, the importance of chosen family, religion, activism, and more, it is a reminder of the powerful complexities each of us holds! We hope that during the month of pride, like the characters in these films, you honor the abundance that is your identity. 

Fabliha Yeaqub is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and community organizer based in New York City. She is the cultural organizer for Arts & Democracy where her main focus is cultivating a safe environment for immigrant youth to creatively express themselves through art and culture. Fabliha is also the founder of the Marigold Seeds Collective, a grassroots organization for LGBTQ+ South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans. She has been featured in multiple publications such as Teen Vogue, NBC News, and more. Fabliha utilizes the many facets of her identity in her writing and believes storytelling is a powerful tool to heal souls. You can check her website, Instagram, or her Substack! 

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Spoilers: This article contains spoilers for Babel by R. F. Kuang, and the TV series Andor 

Fantastical stories have always had a prominent presence in my life. I nourish my absorbent imagination with storytelling and dream endlessly of vast magical vistas, spiraling galaxies, and sword wielding shield maidens atop scarlet scaled dragons. Science fiction and fantasy has always allowed me to imagine; it’s afforded me the opportunity to escape. I sink into dense worlds and roll dice at table tops to experience joy and catharsis, yes, but also because there’s no constraints to how large, how different, how non-conformed I can imagine myself. I lose myself in books like Babel by R. F. Kuang, that teaches you to be fearless in the face of doubt or even in massive franchise properties, like Star Wars’ Andor, where the characters learn how to revolt against oppressive systems - systems that exist in and reflect our real world.

I was born, raised and socialized as a cisgendered heterosexual male. Despite the gift of having two very open minded parents who were more than willing to learn, being born into the world with those predetermined identifiers meant that I was nurtured and raised to be a prime contributing member of the cis hetero-patriarchy. Somewhere along the way I realized that nothing about how the way the world wanted me to operate found any purchase within my awkward, scrawny brown body. Though it took most of my teen years and early adulthood, I’ve come out on the other side of my early 20s beginning to embrace what it is like, and feels like, to be within this body that I oftentimes struggle to feel connected to. Every day is a battle to liberate myself from the culture of domination that makes up much of the world I desperately want to understand, and engaging with the full possibilities of the imagination has helped me along that journey.

At the beginning of 2023, my best friend suggested I read a book that had recently had a profound impact on her: Babel by R. F. Kuang. Babel spoke to all of my unique interests: language and translation, navigating academic trauma as a Black and brown person, the effects of colonialism and war, and magic. What I did not expect to find was a thoughtful, fearless examination of how communities grow, crack, fester, and rebuild. 

Kuang seamlessly captures the anxiety, the romance, and the addiction to validation that characterize attending a Predominantly White Institution, while allowing her characters to find their own flawed, messy, and ultimately violent ways to revolution (the subtitle of the book is, after all, ‘or, the Necessity of Violence’). Flying through the book, I was enraptured by the story of Robin Swift, the beautifully platonic romance he fosters with his best friends, and the sacrifices he eventually must make for them.

Robin is an atypical male protagonist for a fantasy novel. From the beginning he is presented as a victim of circumstance, of the world. He’s ripped from his homeland by a white academic colonizer hellbent on using Robin’s gifts for capital and imperial gain. He is consistently at odds with his own identity, struggling to maintain a rooted connection to his native tongue. Robin is scared, he’s quiet and he’s reserved; attributes worn by him as a coping mechanism for his circumstances. It isn’t until mid way through the book that Kuang reveals that Robin is in fact just complacent. He is not the special, bright, young boy valued for the hard work and intelligence that his oppressors would have him believe are his shining attributes; he is in fact a complicit - oftentimes spineless - bystander and enabler of the cis hetero patriarchy and English imperialism. 

In the final moments of Babel, Robin’s classmate Victoire - a Haitian woman and the only Black woman within the overwhelmingly white environment at Oxford University - yearns for an escape from academic and cultural domination, as well as the inevitable fate of death. 

‘I want to live,’ she says, ‘and live, and thrive, and survive them. I want a future. I don’t think death is a reprieve…Even if all I did was run away, even if I never lifted a finger to help anyone else as long as I lived - at least I would get to be happy. At least the world might be all right, just for a day, just for me. Is that selfish?’ 

Robin responds to this, simply, with, ‘Be selfish…be brave.’ 

In this moment, he - a white-passing, mixed race Cantonese cisgender male - allows this young Black woman the space to escape domination, to escape the oppressive, patriarchal systems, and to choose herself. He chooses the ultimate sacrifice in death out of love for her, and affords Victoire the ultimate victory - liberation. It’s not until Robin can see the world through the perspective of the Black and brown humans around him; it’s not until he presents his body as a shield to the systematically oppressed and marginalized people in his life that Robin finds the courage and bravery to resist domination and stand up to the patriarchy. 

Reading Babel gave me hope that we can create a world in which we are unashamed to have each other's backs. The uniqueness of Babel comes not from its stylized prose or its magical lore - it comes from its central revolutionary idea that no matter what, we must protect each other at all cost. 

Kuang’s tour de force paired deliciously well with the other (albeit non-fiction) book I was reading at the time: bell hooks’ The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. The late, highly regarded Black feminist author dove deep into the complexities of the patriarchy in this book, discussing how it affects everyone in our society. Did I cry uncontrollably for hours after reading only six pages? Of course. Did I also realize that masculinity is not something to be scared of, but rather something to be held tenderly and with care? Absolutely. 

hooks acknowledges that men can not liberate themselves from the patriarchy until they learn to refuse and reject their impulses to dominate women and femmes, as well as one another. Her book ultimately metamorphosed my relationship to my own masculinity - as well as others - by reminding me that there isn’t necessarily anything inherently dominating about masculinity, but that the patriarchy makes it so. Rejecting the culture of domination is the first place to begin healing that fractured relationship to masculinity. Building your foundation on an ethic of love and care is a revolutionary act. 

Domination - the will to control another - feeds on fear. In All About Love, bell hooks relays that, ‘Fear is the primary force upholding structures of domination. It promotes the desire for separation, the desire to not be known.’ This is explored in many sci-fi stories, where the future is often depicted as being a place heavily influenced by the long term effects and oppressive advancement of technology and humankind. 

The 2022 television series Andor (a spin off of Star Wars: Rogue One) was not only met with critical acclaim, but directly tackled this issue throughout its ten episode run. The show follows Cassian Andor (played with unmatched passion and charisma by Diego Luna) as he attempts to live a life on the run as a thief and scoundrel. Ultimately, he finds himself tangled in an idea much larger than himself - revolution. Living under the boot of the oppressive and inhumane Empire, Andor follows several groups of people as they attempt to break free from domination through personal sacrifice, resistance and love. 

In the first season’s tenth episode, One Way Out, Cassian finds himself imprisoned in a maximum security facility in the middle of the ocean. Through a series of rebellious events, he manages to rally the prisoners together after revealing to them that their sentences are false and that there is no escaping the Imperial regime. Leading a prison revolt, Cassian and his cell block leader Kinoy Loy (Andy Serkis) find their way into the control room, where Loy delivers a riveting speech: ‘There is one way out…You need to help each other. You see someone who's confused, someone who is lost, you get them moving and you keep them moving until we put this place behind us. There are 5,000 of us. If we can fight half as hard as we've been working, we will be home in no time. One way out! One way out! One way out!’

In the end not everyone makes it out - revolutions are rarely bloodless - but the message of Andor is clear to me: to escape oppression, to resist domination and to seek liberation requires sacrifice, love and support, both personal and communal. 

bell hooks reiterates that love is ‘the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth’ (a quote she borrows from M. Scott Peck). The culture of domination that makes up our entire society enlists fear as its primary weapon, and there can be no true love in fear. When love - whether platonic or romantic - ceases to exist in a community between people, then all manner of fearful, oppressive behaviors bubble to the surface and the culture of domination strengthens. As a society, if we are going to survive and grow, we must find our way to a culture of love and mutual nurturance. 

My journey has taken me through the ups and downs of learning and unlearning patriarchal behaviors and mindsets. Restructuring your mind, expanding your heart towards new possibilities and ideas as time trudges on is difficult - it requires a vulnerability and honesty that is rarely expected or nurtured in people socialized as males. 

I implore us all to look to these fictional, far off lands beyond our own for inspiration. These stories may seem epic and impossible in scope, but buried deep within them are lessons and language on how to love, how to be brave and how to imagine a different world for ourselves. Dragons and aliens may not exist in our realm, but revolutionary love can always be found when given the right tools, whether magical or not. Stories and art can show us the truth about our humanity and our world, they can lead us towards liberation. 

There is, after all, nothing more magical than being free. 

Antonio Lasanta

Antonio Lasanta (he/they) is a multi-hyphenate actor, voice over artist, writer, model, and creative from Houston, Texas. Of Black and Puerto Rican descent, Antonio’s work primarily focuses on the intersections between literature, queer Black and brown folk, and nerd fandoms. A lover of stories and a passionate supporter of creativity, his artistic goal in life is to bring awareness to underrepresented artists and to create opportunities for queer BIPOC to thrive.

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Fantasy is a highly male dominated genre across all forms of media, whether that be books, tv, or film. Though men have contributed memorable and genre-defining pieces to the fantasy and sci-fi canon, the works of female, trans, and non-binary directors/writers/creators often go overlooked. Despite this, femme, trans, and non-binary creators have persisted, bringing to life works that reestablish how we view fantasy. 

While there is still much work to be done in making space for femme, trans, and non-binary folk, we can look towards their movies and TV shows that do exist to find stories of resilience, redefining identity, and breaking free from oppressive molds and domination all throughout the genre. 

Below is a list of six works by women, trans, and non binary artists who break free from monotonous and societally conformed storytelling. Check them out.

List of Selected Films (all trailers linked below)

• Neptune Frost - Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams (2021, Rwanda, USA)

• A Wrinkle in Time - Ava Duvernay (2018, USA)

• High Life - Claire Denis (2018, France)

• Lovecraft Country - Misha Green (2020, USA)

• Turning Red - Domee Shi (2022, USA)

• The Power - Raelle Tucker, Naomi Alderman, Claire Wilson, Sarah Quintrell (2023, UK)

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All titles links to where films can be watched

Neptune Frost

Neptune Frost directed by Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams, (2021, Rwanda, USA)

Synopsis: Neptune Frost follows Neptune, an intersex person on the run, and their lover Matalusa, as they lead a hacker collective in a futuristic version of the village of Burundi.

Neptune Frost an Afrofuturist extravaganza. A genre still yet to be fully explored across the global cinematic landscape, Afrofuturism is a genre of science-fiction/fantasy that explores the advancement of technology and art through a Black lens, centering Black stories and culture. A love story at its core, Neptune Frost is able to create a world that explores the body and mind, and what it means to be abstract, alien, or even just different. The sci-fi elements of the film lend themselves to the story through the production design, costumes, and world building, creating a wonderfully realized visual language. On top of all this, having a Black, intersex person as the lead of this movie is a major step forward for queer representation. 

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time directed by Ava Duvernay, (2018, USA)

Synopsis: Meg Murry and her little brother, Charles Wallace, along with Meg's classmate Calvin O'Keefe, are led by the three astral travelers known as Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, on a dangerous odyssey across space and time to a new planet discovered by Meg’s father - a planet that contains all the known evil in the universe.

2018’s A Wrinkle in Time - based on Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 novel of the same name showcased the power of black female storytelling at the forefront of science fiction. The film is helmed by Ava Duvernay, the prestigious Black filmmaker who created cultural cinematic mainstays like Selma and When They See Us. The film tackles common fantasy themes, such as the hero’s journey and coming of age, but Ava Duvernay’s adaptation, paired with the earnest performance by Storm Reid as Meg, makes this film more than the sum of its parts. It is a delight to see a big budget sci-fi movie centering Black girlhood that allows its main character to learn, make mistakes, grow, and live as a layered, complex human being on screen for all to see. 

High Life

High Life directed by Claire Denis, (2018, France)

Synopsis: Monte and his infant daughter are the last survivors of a dangerous mission to the outer reaches of space. They must now rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole.

High Life is dense, hard, granular sci-fi. Directed by the legendary Claire Denis, it is a masterclass of filmmaking within the grounded, isolated corners of science fiction that explore loneliness, existentialism, and survival. Visually profound and in the same class as movies like Solaris or Interstellar, High Life examines the human psyche and what happens when it comes under assault by the vacuum and emptiness of space. 

It is both simultaneously anxiety inducing while being mesmerizing, cryptic, and pensive. Claire Denis is a thoughtful filmmaker, who fills the runtime with questions that will surely make you contemplate the meaning of human existence, as well as the idea of what is beyond. 

Lovecraft Country

Lovecraft Country created by Misha Green, (2020, USA)

Synopsis: Based on Matt Ruff's novel, Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman, his friend Letitia, and his Uncle George on a journey across 1950s Jim Crow America. Along this journey, they discover the political, racial, and historical skeletons hiding in the dark shadows of America’s past.

Lovecraft Country premiered in August of 2020, during the height of the pandemic and following a long, hot summer of social reckoning, digital and physical protest, and a call to action from America’s most marginalized populations to make this nation better. Outside of this context, the series would have been monumental regardless, but in 2020 the series made waves.

Led by Misha Green, Lovecraft Country refuses to shy away from the realities of America’s past, present, and future. A relentless odyssey that blends sci-fi, fantasy, and horror through centering the Black point of view, HBO’s hit series subverts and examines the racism of H. P. Lovecraft’s well beloved stories and uses them to call in and awaken some of this country’s most untold truths. Green allows her female characters to have fully developed arcs, discovering themselves through the magic and time-bending forces that challenge them in this haunted world. Though the male characters endure countless struggles, the female characters navigate challenges of identity, sexuality, faith, and gender transformation.  

Each episode hits with a strong impact and, fair warning, you may need to take breaks; Lovecraft Country digs deep into its portrayals of the realities of racism and violence in 1950s America. However, for anyone interested in seeing more Black and brown faces in fantasy and horror this is a great place to start. 

Turning Red

Turning Red directed by Domee Shi, (2022, USA)

Synopsis: Turning Red follows Meilin as she comes of age and learns to live with her inherited family ability to transform into a giant red panda.

Turning Red is one of my favorite animated movies of the past few years. Created by a team of almost entirely femme artists - led by the talented Domee Shi - Turning Red follows a generational story of family, identity, and learning how to love oneself and be comfortable in one’s skin. The film explores themes of adolescence, family, and the Asian American experience, while crafting a beautifully animated world of wonder and whimsy that reflects the childlike imagination of its main protagonist, Mei. Fantasy films, historically, have been centered around the concept of, what I like to call, the “very special boy” (think Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter), so it’s nice to see films that focus on the struggles of female adolescence, and how coming of age affects your bonds and relationships with not only friends, but family as well.

Not only that, but the movie has a fun battle at the end of the movie reminiscent of old kaiju-monster movies. And who could forget about the in-universe, chart topping boy band, 4*Town?

The Power

The Power created by Raelle Tucker, Naomi Alderman, Claire Wilson, Sarah Quintrell, (2023, UK)

Synopsis: One day, all the teenage girls in the world develop the ability to release electric shocks from their fingers at will - giving them the ability to take life into their own hands, literally and figuratively. 

The most recent entry to this list, The Power is a TV show about exactly what you think - power, how it’s obtained, and how it’s used. Created by a team of all women, The Power follows several storylines at once. Set in a world in which teenage girls begin to develop supernatural powers that allow them to release electrical shocks from their fingers, The Power is primarily about women escaping domination and oppression when given the chance. This newfound power flips the world on its head, causing each of these women to explore the new power dynamics in their life and escape their circumstances, whether for good or bad. The teen girls eventually realize that they can awaken these abilities in the older women in their life and, from then on, their worlds are forever changed. With incredibly strong performances from a wide cast of young and veteran female and queer actors, The Power makes use of one of the greatest benefits of sci-fi and fantasy - the ability for us to imagine a world in which we are our strongest selves, free of oppression. 

Fantasy creates worlds that bend and challenge our way of thinking, while proposing ideas of creating community, love, and sustained realities through collective action and dreaming big. When compiling this list, it was difficult to find selections - a reflection of the lack of accessibility in genre storytelling for femmes, trans folk, and non-binary peoples. As we jettison into the future and some of these technological and magical fantasies become true to life, I can only hope that these stories where Black and Brown femmes and non-binary folk are center stage materialize into reality. There is an endless supply of stories waiting to be told by some of our most marginalized creators, and we hope to see them soon.

Antonio Lasanta

Antonio Lasanta (he/they) is a multi-hyphenate actor, voice over artist, writer, model, and creative from Houston, Texas. Of Black and Puerto Rican descent, Antonio’s work primarily focuses on the intersections between literature, queer black and brown folk, and nerd fandoms. A lover of stories and a passionate supporter of creativity, his artistic goal in life is to bring awareness to underrepresented artists and to create opportunities for queer BIPOC to thrive. 

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I am convinced women only get more powerful after heartbreak. 

Fka twigs is a robust example. I witnessed FKA twigs churn a crowd with her hypnotic voice akin to a siren in 2019, months after exiting an abusive relationship with Shia LaBeouf. Every step she took in her four-inch heels was intentional and firm. She dipped her body very low and very unafraid, but then rolled back up like reverted rainfall. The lights flickered approvingly in rhythm. Her eye makeup was just as bold as the Medieval costumes she wore. An alien ship could just have come from the sky and swallowed her while she perfectly landed an arabesque — all of this lived in the realm of possibilities because it was FKA twigs. 

Twigs began her career dancing in music videos for Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, Taio Cruz, and many more. In spite of her dance career success, she hoped to steer away from the “video girl” identity. Since then, Twigs released three critically acclaimed albums and earned a Grammy nomination, earning a reputation as a notable British singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Yet, she is constantly redefining herself. On her Instagram page, she currently honors herself by simplistically identifying herself as a craftsman. 

Twigs admitted to a reckoning during the creation of her latest album, Magdalene. While intimately navigating body aches, heartaches, and art aches, she had to accept the ugly parts of growth in order to extricate herself. As part of her fracturing and healing, she took on crafts. 

Twigs demonstrated wushu sword fighting techniques in “Sad Day” and tap dancing in her Magdalene tour. FKA Twigs intensely trained in pole dancing for one year to prepare for the video for “Cellophane”. In the music video, she twirls on a pole wearing a golden two-piece set. Twigs confronts a dragon that shares her face and falls at the will of gravity into the mud until she is revived by tender feminine creatures. With her hauntingly beautiful lyrics ‘And didn't I do it for you? Why don't I do it for you?’,  Twigs yearns to love and be loved in the most genuine ways — her self-preservation is rebirth itself. 

New life always comes with vulnerability for Twigs. She wrestles with the hurt that comes from attachment in “Good to Love”, a single released in 2016. Then in 2022, she wrenchingly takes us through her push and pull of longing in “Killer”. Timeless emotional honesty is another craft she is constantly practicing and employing to tell her story. By sharing her truth, many women can find solidarity in her resilience, particularly heartbroken women.

“After a lifetime of never quite finding my place in company I now realise that my true home is in practice & the learning of new skills,” she writes in an Instagram caption. “If one day I completely disappear, I am not gone, I am just in a safe space somewhere, learning something new and touching the veil.”

She is endlessly reemerging and celebrating her multidimensionality. With Caprisongs, her mixtape released in 2022, came a reintroduction. ‘I'm not the rockstar's girlfriend, I am the rockstar girlfriend,’ she proclaims in “Which Way”. Caprisongs is a celebration of how far she has come and how far she will go. Twigs is the main character and every man that has been amiss to her weight has lost. 

Drawing strength from being emotionally naked, she expresses self-doubt in “Meta angel”. She is tired of not being the Twigs she dreams of, but a friend reminds her that ‘The universe is so powerful. You're gonna be more free and you're gonna love more and you're gonna have more fun’. Over and over again, she is each of us. 

Every craftsman knows that discipline comes with persistence. Every lover knows that heartbreak is not an endpoint; no beginning or ending in love stories, just continuation. Despite the pain from mourning past versions of herself, Twigs vows to never give up, to continue. In her grieving, she harnesses the potency of falling apart to create for the sake of learning, alignment, and liberation. Twigs shoots down a docile version of herself with a bow and arrow in the visual narrative of “Meta angel”. She chooses to use the friction to unlock herself, reimagining herself free and sexy. Just by witnessing her, we are invited to step into our craft because we all too can be crafts-people.

About Nancy Uddin

Nancy Uddin is a Muslim artist based in New York City. She often explores identity, culture, and wellness in her writing. Nancy has bylines in Dazed, Vogue, and HuffPost. She values change, impermanence, and infinite love. 

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Ramadan is a sacred time of the year for Muslims; a time of devotion to fasting, prayer and introspection. It is also a time to come together with communities and spend time with each other, whether that is eating, praying or watching TV. Unfortunately, the representation of Muslims in Western media has often been distorted and harmful, perpetuating tired tropes and inaccurate stereotypes. In an effort to amplify authentic voices and stories, Womxn in Windows asked fourteen Muslims from diverse backgrounds what their favorite women/femme/nonbinary-directed film is. While not all of the films directly depict Islamic traditions or culture, they provide a diverse list from the diaspora, which ranges from comedy, tragedy and romance, to drama and documentary, and includes animated films and TV shows. We are grateful to our Muslim contributors for their recommendations, and for offering this insight into their minds. We hope you will enjoy watching this list of work during the holy month.

List of Selected Films (link)

(all trailers linked below)

• You Resemble Me - Dina Amer (2022, United States, France, Egypt)

• Wadjda - Haifaa al-Mansour (2013, Saudi Arabia)

• Yuni - Kamila Andini (2021, Indonesia)

• Honey and Ashes - Nadia Fares (1998, Tunisia)

• Faya Dayi - Jessica Beshir (2021, Ethiopia)

• We Are Lady Parts - Nida Manzoor (2021, United Kingdom)

• Sort Of - Bilal Baig (2021, Canada)

• Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - Zoya Akhtar (2011, India)

• A Night of Knowing Nothing - Payal Kapadia (2022, United States)

• Appropriate Behavior - Desiree Akhavan (2015, United States)

• Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi (2008, France, United States)

• Children of Shatila - Mai Masri (1998, Netherlands, Lebanon)

• Main Hoon Na - Farah Khan (2004, India)

• The Breadwinner - Nora Twomey (2017, United States, Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg)

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All titles links to where films can be watched

You Resemble Me

You Resemble Me is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama, directed by Egyptian-American Dina Amer in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Amer and Omar Mullick. It tells the true story of Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a woman who was falsely accused of being Europe's first female suicide bomber. Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world. Director Dina Amer takes on one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructs it in an intimate story about family, love, sisterhood and belonging. 

This film was chosen by Muna Malik [visual artist] who says, “It’s a poetic film that brings to life the story of a woman whose story was silenced.”

Wadjda

Wadjda is a 2012 film by Saudi Arabian director Haifa Al Mansour. It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl named Wadjda who dreams of owning a bicycle, a forbidden object for girls in her conservative society. Determined to make her dream a reality, Wadjda enters a Quran-reciting competition at her school to win the prize money and buy the bike. The film offers a rare glimpse into the daily life and struggles of girls and women in Saudi Arabia, and explores themes of gender, tradition and modernity. Wadjda was the first Saudi Arabian feature-length film directed by a woman as well as the first shot entirely within the country.

This film was chosen by Yasmine Diaz [artist] who says, “Wadjda reminded me a lot of myself at her age! Precocious and crafty!'“

Yuni 

Yuni is a 2021 film by Indonesian director Kamila Andini. A thought-provoking coming-of-age story set in Indonesia, the film follows 16 year old Yuni, a school girl trying to escape the pressures of becoming a teenage bride. Despite the heavy subject matter, the story is whimsical, intimate and familiar to any Muslim femme who was expected to grow up too fast. Yuni showcases the pockets of joy that come with girlhood even when the looming expectations of womanhood come too quickly. 

This film was chosen by Dena Igusti [poet and playwright].

Honey and Ashes

Honey and Ashes is a 1996 directorial debut by Egyptian Swiss director Nadia Fares, which tells the stories of three women from contemporary North Africa. Caught between tradition and modernity, they seek success in their lives and in their relationships with men. Although their age and social backgrounds differ, their paths cross, bringing to light the multiple obstacles which society has placed in their way. And as with any story about the power of women communicating with one another, it’s also a story of the power of increasing feminist education for girls – something relevant to us all, perhaps especially now.

This film was chosen by Fariha Roisin [writer]. 

Faya Dayi

Faya Dayi is a 2021 debut documentary film by Mexican Ethiopian director Jessica Beshir. The film is a hypnotic documentary immersion into the world of Ethiopia’s Oromo and Harari communities, places where one commodity - khat (a euphoria-inducing plant once prized for its mystical properties) - holds sway over the rituals and rhythms of everyday life. The film follows a young khat farmer named Yussuf as he harvests and sells the plant to support himself and his family. Through Yussuf's journey, the film offers a poetic and immersive meditation on the history, mythology and social significance of khat in Ethiopian society, as well as the challenges faced by those who rely on it for their livelihoods. With stunning visuals and an evocative score, Faya Dayi is a deeply personal and visually striking portrait of a country and a people often overlooked by mainstream media.

This film was chosen by Ayesha Bashir [filmmaker].

We Are Lady Parts

We Are Lady Parts is a 2021 comedy-drama television series created by British writer and director Nida Manzoor. The show follows the story of an all-female Muslim punk band, Lady Parts, as they navigate their lives in London and try to make it big in the music industry. Each episode explores the band members' personal struggles, including issues related to religion, identity, relationships and career aspirations. With a diverse cast and irreverent humor, We Are Lady Parts offers a fresh and nuanced perspective on the experiences of Muslim women in contemporary Britain. The show has been praised for its authentic portrayal of Muslim culture and for breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam.

This show  was chosen by Ifrah F. Ahmed [writer and chef] who says, “It’s so funny! Also makes me feel seen, since I was once a hijabi going to punk shows.”

Appropriate Behavior

Appropriate Behavior is a 2014 comedy-drama film by American director Desiree Akhavan, who also wrote and starred in the film. The story follows Shirin, who is struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, as well as politically correct bisexual and hip young Brooklynite, but fails miserably in her attempt at all identities. Being without a cliché to hold onto can be a lonely experience. The film explores themes of identity, cultural expectations and sexual fluidity as Shirin tries to find her place in the world and reconcile her desires with her family's expectations. With sharp humor and a unique perspective, Appropriate Behavior offers a fresh and honest portrayal of the challenges faced by young adults trying to find their way in a rapidly changing world.

This film was chosen by Nancy Uddin [writer and model].

Sort Of 

Sort Of is a 2021 television series created by Canadian director Bilal Baig. The show follows the story of Sabi Mehboob, a gender-fluid person of Pakistani descent, as they navigate their life in Toronto and explore their relationships with family, friends and romantic partners. The series delves into themes of identity, community and self-discovery, as Sabi grapples with the challenges of being true to themselves while navigating cultural expectations and societal pressures. With a diverse cast and inclusive storytelling, Sort Of offers a refreshing and nuanced portrayal of the experiences of gender-nonconforming people, and the complexities of their relationships with the world around them.

This show was chosen by Nova A. [model and actor] who says “I can confidently say there is no other show like this one! Sabi really illustrates all the awkward, strange and confusing aspects of being a genderfluid Desi person just trying to exist and figuring it out day by day– just like I am right now.“ 

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a 2011 coming-of-age film by Indian director Zoya Akhtar. The story follows the journey of three friends, Kabir, Imran and Arjun, who go on a bachelor trip to Spain to celebrate Kabir's upcoming wedding. Through their adventures, the friends learn about themselves and each other, as they confront their fears, insecurities and desires. The film explores themes of friendship, love and self-discovery, and features stunning visuals of the Spanish countryside and culture. With a talented cast, lively music and heartfelt storytelling, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a feel-good movie that has become a beloved classic of contemporary Indian cinema.

This film was chosen by Raneen Bukhari [producer]

A Night of Knowing Nothing 

A Night of Knowing Nothing is a 2021 documentary film by Indian director Payal Kapadia. The film tells the story of a young woman named Lali, who arrives in Mumbai to attend college and experiences the city's vibrant and chaotic energy. Through a nonlinear narrative, the film weaves together Lali's personal journey with broader themes of social and political unrest, as protests erupt across the city in response to government policies. With dreamlike imagery, poetic narration and a mesmerizing soundscape, A Night of Knowing Nothing offers a unique and immersive cinematic experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional storytelling.

This film was chosen by Arshia Fatima Haq [artist, DJ and music archivist]. 

Persepolis

Persepolis is a 2008 animated biographical drama, based on a graphic novel, by French-Iranian director Marjane Satrapi. It tells the story of her life in pre- and post-revolutionary Iran and then in Europe. The film traces Satrapi's growth from child to rebellious, punk-loving teenager in Iran. In the background are the growing tensions of the political climate in Iran in the 70s and 80s, with members of her liberal-leaning family detained and then executed, and the background of the disastrous Iran/Iraq war. The film's unique black and white hand-drawn animation style and honest portrayal of Iranian culture make it a powerful and thought-provoking experience.

This film was chosen by Jumanah Shaheen [VFX producer].

Children of Shatila

Children of Shatila is a 1998 documentary film by Palestinian director Mai Masri. Farah and Issa, two streetwise children living in Beirut's Palestinian Shatila refugee camp, use their imaginations and creativity to come to terms with the realities of growing up in a camp that has survived massacre, siege and starvation. The film offers a poignant and heartbreaking portrayal of the impact of war and violence on innocent children, and sheds light on the ongoing struggles faced by Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.

This film was chosen by Tasnim Boufelfel [filmmaker].

Main Hoon Na

Main Hoon Na is a 2004 Bollywood film by Indian director Farah Khan. The movie follows the story of an Indian Army officer who goes undercover as a college student to protect the daughter of a General from a terrorist threat. Along the way, he must navigate complex relationships with the students and faculty at the college, including a love interest and a rival. The film incorporates elements of action, comedy and romance.

Main Hoon Na was chosen by Sarah Anwer Khan [writer and host] who says “The range of emotions in that film are still mentioned and poorly imitated in Bollywood movies to this day. The makeovers, falling in love, family secrets - and Sushmita Sen in her orange sari ... timeless.”

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner is a 2017 adult animated film by Irish director, animator and producer Nora Twomey, based on a children’s novel by Deborah Ellis. The film is about Parvana, an 11-year-old girl who lives under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2001. After the wrongful arrest of her father, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy to support her family. Working alongside a friend, she soon discovers a new world of freedom and danger. Drawing strength from the fantastical stories she invents, Parvana embarks on an epic quest to find her father and reunite her family. The animation, poetry and music are all stunning. Simple yet impactful, The Breadwinner is a story told with sensitivity and inventiveness. 

This film was chosen by Zehra Zehra [designer, curator and cultural producer] who says “This film is a reminder of women’s struggle under Taliban rule but more importantly it’s a reminder of the power of family, solidarity and the basic humanity needed to overcome fascism and evil.” 

Ramadan Kareem from WxW

Whether you're Muslim or not, a film lover or a casual viewer, we hope this month's watch list expands your understanding of today's world through the lens of women/femme/non-binary directors. Join us in celebrating Ramadan and discovering films and shows that showcase the rich diversity of our world through comedy, tragedy, drama, wit and artistry. 

Thank you to the following folks for their contribution: Arshia Fatima Haq, Ayesha Bashir, Dena Igusti, Fariha Roisin, Ifrah F. Ahmed, Jumanah Shaheen, Muna Malik, Nancy Uddin, Nova A., Raneen Bukhari, Sarah Anwer Khan, Tasnim Boufelfel, Yasmine Diaz and Zehra Zehra.

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Joyland is a stand-out debut from director Saim Sadiq that confronts social issues through captivating visuals and masterful storytelling. The film manages to humanize characters and avoids certain cinematic tropes such as “trauma porn” often found in queer cinema. It stands as a milestone for Pakistani New Wave cinema, by being the first queer film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and the first to win the Un Certain Regard and Queer Palm prize. Joyland is about a patriarchal family unit, where the youngest son, Haider secretly finds work at an erotic dance theater and falls for an ambitious trans dancer. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire family’s desire for a sexual rebellion. 

Haider’s (Ali Junejo) abuse is never vocalized, nor materialized, throughout the film, yet Mumtaz’s (Rasti Farooq) fate is ultimately decided by his neglect and passivity. The film is not singularly centered around a tragic love story, however, it is an examination of the ways in which patriarchy permeates self-identity, repressed desires, and familial expectations. Transphobia and intolerance cannot be confronted without addressing how queerness challenges the patriarchal paradigm. Ultimately, Joyland is a conversation starter that humanizes each character by illustrating how their involvement in patriarchy is inherently damaging, rather than debating the validity of queer experiences. 

Going into the film, I had my reservations about why the film switched from Alina Khan’s character, Biba,  in 1Darling, to Joyland’s Haider, as the protagonist; however, after my initial watch, everything made sense.  I was relieved to see a male protagonist challenged by his sexuality more than a trans character on-screen, especially in relation to patriarchy in Pakistan. Growing up in a middle-class neighborhood in Karachi, there were several theater houses nearby that put on comedy stage shows on weeknights and performed 2Mujras on weekends. A majority of the performers in these theaters were trans women, frequently entertaining large masses of howling men. The dances were inherently scandalous and full of sexual innuendos, but what surprised me the most was that the men who encouraged these dances were usually married; I often wondered why so many “married men” went to see them at all.

Susan Sontag essentially defines “campiness” as something that can not intentionally exist, much less exist in the mainstream. Much like drag culture, Mujra as an art form is inherently campy in aesthetic. It is created to perfectly encapsulate the playfulness, performance, and theatricality of camp sensibilities. The irony of Mujra being queer-coded for a male audience’s entertainment, can be seen in the cognitive dissonance between these audiences being both attracted to trans performers and failing to recognize them as more than just objects.  In a country where homophobia is starkly apparent, Mujra as a sub-culture seems to quietly do its job without raising eyebrows. 

We can’t speak of Pakistani cinematic culture - or the lack thereof - without mentioning the scarcity of theaters in Pakistan, specifically in cities like Karachi. During Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship in the late 1970s, Pakistani production houses and cinemas went into decline. The following era, under dictator Zia Ul Haq,  left us with only a hundred of them. And that wasn’t all; a decade ago, most cinemas in Karachi were burnt down in the name of fundamentalism. With culture constantly being burned to the ground, it comes as no surprise that younger generations have become hesitant to make films within the economic climate of the country.

Not long ago, films like I'll Meet You There by Iram Parveen Bilal and Zindagi Tamasha by Sarmad Khoosat were banned in Pakistan. Because of certain reactions to films made in/for Pakistan, the industry has struggled financially as it fails to create sustained systems for filmmaking. This is extremely detrimental to young filmmakers waiting to continue their art. The question then arises: how do you effectively start a conversation around culturally taboo topics, such as the acknowledgment of transgender people's existence, in a highly conservative country? 

Joyland tactically follows a cisgender Pakistani man without labeling his sexuality. Haider’s character arc is used as a tool to examine the subtle, harmful dynamics of patriarchy within a middle-class Pakistani family. The opening sequence introduces us to him as he indulges himself in chores, helping around the house as a skilled domestic figure. As he plays with his nieces and puts them to sleep, the audience witnesses the maternal role that Haider has assumed while being a stay-at-home husband. This relationship to masculinity is dissected within every interaction he has on-screen. 

In an early sequence in the film, Haider is unable to slaughter a goat with his bare hands – whereas his wife, Mumtaz, takes control and slaughters the goat herself. This scene effectively demonstrates how their marriage ignores traditional gender roles. Although their marriage lacks romantic passion, it is a convenient partnership in which they are able to appease cultural, familial, and societal expectations. Within their partnership there is no pressure to perform heteronormativity; therefore, Mumtaz assumes the role of breadwinner, while Haider becomes the homemaker. This arrangement crumbles when Haider is unable to stand up to the patriarch of the family - his wheel-chair bound father - who demands that Haider get a job and Mumtaz sacrifices her career. 

The characters in Joyland are multifaceted, revealing both their adherence and non-conformity to patriarchal norms throughout the course of the film. The narrative is set in a close-knit middle-class neighborhood, or "mohalla," and speaks to the collective consciousness of a homogeneous society. Challenging the status quo in such a society often results in ridicule and ostracism, usually invoked by a single person, and brings shame to the entire family. In the context of Pakistani/Punjabi culture, one's obligation to their family supersedes their personal desires, and maintaining honor is of utmost importance.

Mumtaz represents how society erodes a woman's personhood when she is forced to conform to a role she did not choose for herself. In her case, she is forced to be a child-bearer and housewife. Her pregnancy is a symbol of her lost freedom, as she is now responsible for another life before her own. When Haider asks her if she is willing to proceed with their arranged marriage, Mumtaz's only condition is that she is allowed to work. In this instance, Haider uses his male privilege to give Mumtaz the option to decline the marriage and be independent by promising her the freedom to work. However, Haider's masculinity is undermined by his father and older brother, who criticize him for not being in control of the relationship.

Ironically, Haider breaks his promise to Mumtaz in order to gain approval from his family, even though he can’t disclose to them that he is a backup dancer at an erotic theater due to his fear of being emasculated. Haider is fascinated by Biba because she represents something he doesn’t have: the ability to take up space unapologetically and the freedom from patriarchy as it exists inside a conventional Pakistani home. Biba harnesses fierce, assertive, feminine energy as a result of having to constantly demand respect as a trans woman; whereas Haider, despite his privilege as a cisgender man, is meek and unable to stand up for himself or the women he cares about. This inevitably causes harm.

While early depictions of trans characters in cinema were often steeped in negative stereotypes and transphobia, there has been a marked shift in recent years toward more authentic portrayals. This film has not only challenged societal norms but also addressed the long-standing issue of patriarchy. By portraying queer characters as complex individuals rather than caricatures, Joyland has paved the way for a more nuanced understanding and acceptance of the queer community globally. With more nuanced storytelling, cinema can continue to pave the way for greater acceptance and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community in Pakistan and beyond.

About Nova A.

Born and raised in NYC, Nova is a multi-hyphenate who has combined their love of intersectional stories with their passion to uplift them at Womxn in Windows. They are the social media manager and strategist. Outside of WxW, they are a model and actor. Currently they are working on their screenplay.

About Ayesha Bashir

Ayesha Bashir, (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist from Karachi, Pakistan, now based in NYC. Her moving image works investigate racial melancholy, displacement, and amnesia. She's easily moved by slow cinema, seahorses, and poetry. She is a recent graduate of Bennington College and works at Multitude Films.

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I have often felt splintered as a Muslim woman in the Western diaspora. My expression oscillates between dissolving for the sake of self-preservation or assimilating for survival. Despite my external daze, my itch for the transcendental is my anchor. My entire being thrives during Ramadan, a holy month observed by Muslims worldwide, marked by fasting during daylight hours and endless spiritual reflection. I carry abundance, kindness, forgiveness, and discipline as I set intentions, submit to prayer five times a day, and practice gratitude when breaking fast during iftar. 

Iftar has always been precious to me as the sun would set and my family and I would gather together awaiting the call to prayer (azan) to release us from hunger. We would feast on spreads of handmade pakoras, fruits, and rose syrup known as Rooh Afza. After each successful fast, my heart would flutter thinking about the Muslim community (ummah) surrendering to Divinity.

Last Ramadan, in an effort to pull in my worlds, I unconventionally broke my fast at a concert that fell during iftar time. The guilt associated with religious shame expectantly arrived, but I allowed it to dissipate as I stood in my complexity, multiplicity, and autonomy. If sound is infinite and Allah is all, then a concert is holy, I justified. Ultimately, my intimate ties to Islam and music led me to integrate my iftar with my nightlife experience for the first time. Like the Sufi dervishes who dance in accord with the cosmos in a spiritual trance, I found myself twirling on the dance floor after breaking my fast. While this may be considered divisive through the lens of the dominant culture, it felt aligned in my heart. 

Muslims are often taught to fear Allah before loving Them. Focusing on rituals and legalistic rules, at the expense of its spiritual dimension leads to superficial outward expressions of faith and obedience to rules, rather than a deep discernment of Islam’s core values. A polarizing narrative that divides Muslims into "good" and "bad" categories can create a paradigm of a singular, hegemonic way to practice Islam, which may lead to punishment for any deviation from this norm. Institutionally, women are killed for refusing to wear head covers; interpersonally: queer Muslims are deemed forbidden (haram) and face homophobic violence both intra- and extra- the ummah; internally, I ruminate on a sense of belonging in the Muslim community. Regurgitating scripture without centering loving neglects the nuance, beauty, and uncertainty found in Islam. 

My yearning for a world beyond conforming, performing, or merely existing led me to redefine worship for myself. I turned to Sufism while staying open to my earlier teachings. Sufism opened the idea that are other interpretations and elements of Islam. I rejoiced in the expansive nature of Islam and gained clarity that Islam was a framework to be my highest self. The Quran provides tools for my protection and liberation: structured meditation through namaz and dhikr is to find daily stillness, participation in goodness and public service is to build the world I want to live in, duas (prayers) is to call in my dream life, and love and acceptance towards everyone are to foster connections that my soul craves. As I unlocked my heart, I unlearned a lot of Sunni Islam influenced by a South Asian patriarchal framework. I fell in love with Allah and rejected subscribing to linear teachings with punitive approaches. Having an iftar in a party setting was so minuscule against the powerful synergy I had with Allah. My unbreakable bond with my Creator surpasses people's perceptions of me, my own guilt and disorientation, and my attachments to this world. 

In this tender upward spiral towards Allah, I also cultivated a (Muslim) chosen family characterized by unorthodox lifestyles, non judgment, and heart-centeredness. I recognized the closest I tended to humanity was the closest I would feel to Allah. Islam’s fluidity and textures invited me to prioritize spirituality and go within myself and live my boldest life. As I reclaimed my faith, I found Allah everywhere. For the last five months, I embarked on a pilgrimage as I solo traveled across Europe and Asia. I trusted Allah would guide and challenge me in all the risk-taking. I thought about how I did not know a single person in Turkey but was unafraid because I knew Allah. I felt Allah’s presence when I listened to the birds chirp in Mumbai or when I met kind strangers in an underground rave in Tokyo. Last fall, it was just Allah and me again when I was a speckle under a dome of stars in a desert in Nevada. Skydiving in Hawaii was also a surrender to Bismillah as I free-fell over the land where the spirits sleep, according to the locals. 

The Quran begs for reinterpretation over and over again as we dynamically shift along with our environments. There is no space for shame when my connection with Allah is all-encompassing. Absolutely no one can reduce me or Spirit. How could things be so final when Islam is every bit explorative? 

About Nancy Uddin

Nancy Uddin is a Muslim artist based in New York City. She often explores identity, culture, and wellness in her writing. Nancy has bylines in Dazed, Vogue, and HuffPost. She values change, impermanence, and infinite love. 

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Encompassing French visionaries, Welsh storytellers, and superb auteurs, we’ve compiled a list of ten of the greatest horror films directed by female, trans, and non-binary voices.

List of Selected Films

Raw - Julia Ducournau (2017, United States)
We’re All Going to The World’s Fair  - Jane Schoenbrun (2022, United States)
Censor  - Prano-Bailey Bond (2021, United States)
Watcher  - Chloe Okuno (2022, United States)
Bodies Bodies Bodies - Halina Reijn (2022, United States)
We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lynne Ramsay (2012, United States)
Saint Maud  - Rose Glass (2020, United Kingdom)
XX  - Roxanne Benjamin, Jovanka Vuckovic, Karyn Kusama, St. Vincent (2017, Canada)
The Babadook  - Jennifer Kent (2014, United States)
Prevenge - Alice Lowe (2017, United States)

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Raw

Julia Ducournau’s debut horror masterpiece, Raw, centers around vegetarian student Justine, an avid animal environmentalist and soon-to-be veterinarian, approaching her first days of veterinary school. When she arrives at university, her older sister, Alexia, greets her and invites her to join the hazing rituals. Initially, Justine refuses, sticking to her unwavering practice of vegetarianism; however, as hazing goes, Justine lasts a finite amount of time before she’s doused in blood and downing a gray rabbit kidney. After swallowing the animal organ, Justine’s hunger for flesh, of all kinds, awakens.  

Raw presents an intimate glimpse into the journey from adolescence to adulthood and the beautiful concept of actualizing identity through jarring imagery and eerie visuals. Wisps of Ducournau’s voice permeates Justine’s dynamic character. Through her nuances, Ducournau grants the viewer a rare glimpse into a grossly misrepresented and exploited theme in cinema: female sexuality.

Watch Raw on Netflix

We’re All Going to The World’s Fair 

This film serves as a love letter to creepypastas and the internet’s ability to safeguard those turning to it for an escape. Trans and non-binary director Jane Schoenbrun’s feature film adaptation focuses on friendless protagonist Casey and her desire to play the World’s Fair Challenge—a popular internet horror game claiming to change the experience and lives of players. 

The World’s Fair grants a safe space for Casey, someone who isn’t quite sure where she belongs in the world or if she wants to stay. The film’s pacing plays with perception of reality, muddying truth and fantasy. As Casey leans farther and farther into the comforting hug of the game, we fall with her, unable to discern fact from fiction. 

Schoenbrun spoke to the undercurrents of trans identity in this film: Accepting yourself in all veins: weird, beautiful, the unknown, and giving yourself room to escape to an atmosphere where your thoughts can exist sans body. 

Watch We’re All Going to The World’s Fair on HBO MAX or Amazon Prime.

Censor 

Prano-Bailey Bond’s Censor highlights the timeline of the 1980s British video nasties trend from the perspective of a censor that works with banned videos. Several hired individuals viewed content, deeming it offensive or harmful to the public. But, to censor something, someone is exposed. Right?

Censor’s protagonist, Enid, loves her job. She makes it her duty to rid the world of any offensive, harmful, and slightly garish content. After a gruesome crime occurs, the media claims the perpetrator drew inspiration from the approved film. Who approved the film but Enid? After this accusation, a filmmaker approaches Enid, asking her to view his upcoming film. The film unleashes many repressed memories about her sister’s disappearance, thus thrusting Enid into a frenzied search for her missing sister. Enid believes her sister is still alive; however, her parents don’t. 

Censor begs a few arguments: does film influence murder and crime? Can we censor our own life to align with society’s standards? Who makes those choices?

Watch Censor on Hulu or Amazon Prime.

Watcher 

Moving to a foreign country is terrifying, especially when you don’t speak a lick of the language. Maika Monroe stars in Chloe Okuno’s debut as Julia, a woman that moves to Romania in support of her partner Francis’ promotion. Francis spends most of his time away from the apartment, working long hours, leaving Julia to survive in a foreign country with little knowledge about her surroundings. When Francis does come home, she voices growing concern for her safety, claiming one of their neighbors watches her. Francis brushes off the concerns, gaslighting Julia for the majority of the film. 

This slow-burn, psychological-horror film achieves mastery in its final moments. The ending shot flips the tried and tired male gaze, honing in on the female’s point of view, granting viewers a gratifying “screw-you.” 

If a male directed Watcher, the film would be an on-the-nose, heavy-handed mess. Instead, we have a terrifying episode focused on everyday horrors women experience. 

Watch Watcher on Hulu or Sling TV.

Bodies Bodies Bodies 

Bodies Bodies Bodies exemplifies an expert take on the satirical slasher aimed at a Gen Z crowd. Director Halina Reijn knows her audience. The self-aware slasher spins the whodunit film into an expertly crafted black comedy. Bodies Bodies Bodies revolves around a group of wealthy 20-year-olds partying at a friend’s mansion during a thunderstorm. When a party-goer suggests playing Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, and one of the lavish kids ends up dead, the group of friends turns on each other, trying to pinpoint the killer.

With commentary on cancel culture, the evolution of misused language: and racism, 2022 was the perfect year for this film to drop. The lighting in this film evokes the perfect ambiance you expect from an a24 art house film, and Rachel Sennott’s masterclass in comedy is worth the watch alone. Plus, the soundtrack features iconic electropop stars like Slayyyter and Charli XCX. 

Watch Bodies Bodies Bodies on Vudu or Amazon Prime.

We Need to Talk About Kevin 

Can mothers forgive their children? Lynne Ramsay’s chilling tale provides a mother’s lens toward their child. Tilda Swinton stars in this film as Eva, Kevin’s guilt-riddled, grieving mother.

Ezra Miller plays Kevin, a vile child who voices strong disdain toward his mother. The bulk of the film relies on flashbacks and retellings through the mother’s point of view, leading up to a tragedy led by Kevin, but the opening sequences showcase Eva’s neighbors expressing their resentment toward her and her son. The viewer learns later on what crime Kevin perpetrated, but the point of the film isn’t what he did. It’s how it affects his mother. We see Eva’s resilient battle with an ungrateful boy, causing us to wince at the aftermath of her son’s actions. 

The cinematography is dark and dreary; even with sun-kissed frames, the film's tone never achieves a positive mood. I don’t think I smiled at all during my three viewings. 

Watch We Need to Talk About Kevin on Tubi, Amazon Prime, or Peacock.

Saint Maud

Rose Glass’s Saint Maud recounts a story about home health aid, Maud, who realizes newfound religious potential while caring for her patients. Maud’s newest patient, a former actress named Amanda, admits she does not believe in God and fears the loneliness following Earthly existence. Maud views her confession as a sign from God, possessing her to save Amanda’s soul before she dies.  

Maud’s descent into religious extremism costs her her profession and sanity, believing the only real thing in this world is the almighty God. After losing her job, Maud resorts to blasphemous activities, proving her worth in a disturbing nail visual. Saint Maud introduces the hardest-hitting final image in a horror film of the past ten years, burning a permanent picture in your brain.

Watch Saint Maud on Amazon Prime.Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash

XX

XX presents an original anthology from four fabulous female directors, Roxanne Benjamin, Jovanka Vuckovic, Karyn Kusama, and Annie Clark, or St. Vincent. My favorite XX short is Jovanka Vuckovic’s “The Box.” During an afternoon train ride, a man clad in an outfit repping Freddy Krueger’s closet clutches a small wooden box. A curious child questions the box's entrails, yet after seeing the contents, the boy ceases eating. His parents embark on an unyielding quest to discover what is in the box. This spine-tingling short evokes terror within the viewer while asking an important question, why is society obsessed with knowing the answer to every question?

XX’s other shorts, “The Birthday Party,” “Don’t Fall,” and “Her Only Living Son,” supply novel takes on satan, evil, possession, and the quirkiest seventh birthday party ever. Sofia Carrillo’s macabre stop-motion shorts interlace the four tales, elevating the anthology’s creep factor.

Watch XX on Amazon Prime or Vudu. 

The Babadook

ennifer Kent’s The Babadook presents a touching tale of grief, complete with one of the most annoying kids in horror movie history. Amelia is a distressed widow tasked with raising her son, Sam, on her lonesome. Sam begins to grow violent, determined to defend himself against a monster. Amelia soothes Sam, promising monsters are fictitious. Soon, Sam implores Amelia to read a new bedtime story, one that she can’t remember purchasing or placing in his room. The titular character rises out of the confines of the book binds, following them, provoking the readers and testing their sanity. Sam grows increasingly scared of monsters, and Amelia continues to refute his worries. 

Society equates femininity with motherhood. Kent’s masterpiece dismantles any optimistic beliefs about motherhood and questions the darker side of becoming a mom. Kent explores an avenue rarely discussed, remorse and regret about parenting. 

The Babadook offers a look into the horrifying world of depression. What happens when you push it away, and what happens when you

acknowledge the disorder? 

Watch The Babadook on Tubi, Amazon Prime, or Vudu.

Prevenge 

Alice Lowe wrote, directed, and starred in Prevenge, a refreshing spin on the slasher genre. Prevenge follows a pregnant woman, Ruth, determined to kill those who mistreat her, led by none other than the human growing inside her. Lowe shot the film while in her third trimester, delivering a believable performance as opposed to those who “play” pregnant. Ruth’s partner died in a rock climbing accident the day she learned of the pregnancy. The nefarious unborn baby instructs her mother to seek revenge upon those who caused the father’s death or those who look at Ruth in a contemptuous manner. Prevenge succeeds in that it never takes itself too seriously. The baby’s voice matches that of a Spirit Halloween British animatronic, and most of the kills contain some comedic value. 

Prevenge avoids submitting to the male gaze everpresent in slasher films, focusing on two fabulous final girls, Ruth and her child in utero, leading to the question, are pregnant people really in control of their bodies? 

Watch Prevenge on Shudder or Amazon Prime.

Femme Finale

Non-male directors imbue films with tastes of veracity that male voices in the industry stray from, exploit, and misrepresent. Since horror is such an exploratory and inventive genre, the uptick in female and non-binary voices adds a layer of commentary to an area subjugated through male lenses and reinvigorates the expanding genre, urging its progression.  

About Gabrielle Reed

Gabrielle Reeder is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based entertainment writer. She enjoys dissecting intersections within pop culture and analyzing films and music. When she isn't writing, you can find her at a music festival, at the movie theater, or solving a Rubik's cube.

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