There is a lot of amazing work emerging in film and television focusing on the issues of women’s rights. Women-centred protagonists had a landmark year in 2016 with more movies with female leads than ever before. Shows like “Fleabag,” “Girls” and “Broad City” have also emerged as modern portrayals about the exploits of women in the 21st century. The truth, however, remains that events like the recent elections only remind us that we have a long way to go to actually celebrate the better halves of the world. Hulu’s new dystopian series focuses on the vital issue of women’s rights by exploring a sordid direction.
You can catch the trailer below.
The fight for equality
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is the latest offering by Hulu, based on an adaptation of a 1985 book by Margaret Atwood. We can see in the trailer that the world that “The Handmaid’s Tale” is set in is as bleak as it can get. Here, women have been completely stripped of all their rights, and are being used to purely further the agenda of a male-dominated state. They are not allowed to work anymore, or even contribute unless they are explicitly ordered to do so. Most despicably, women are used for their bodies to breed children for the benefit of the state.
The cast of the series is incredibly strong, featuring the likes of Elisabeth Moss from “Mad Men,” Alexis Bledel from “Gilmore Girls,” and Ann Dowd from “The Leftovers.” The series has been created by Bruce Miller who will also serve as executive producer, along with Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, and Warren Littlefield.
Reed Morano will be taking over as director of the show, best known for her work in titles like “Meadowland” and “The Skeleton Twins.”
What to expect
“The Handmaid’s Tale” has a seriously gripping premise and will look to dive into several moral and political dilemmas currently plaguing our society. The cast is also extremely strong and will be the driving force of the series.
Elizabeth Moss’ character in “Mad Men” earned a lot of critical acclaims, purely due to her superb portrayal of a woman in the 60’s looking to make her mark in a male-dominated industry. She will face much harsher conditions on “The Handmaid’s Tale, appears, ” and that should likely make for gripping television.
The tone and direction of the show appear to be quite dark and realistic, almost documentarian by the looks of the trailer.
Hulu has had a successful run over the past two years, and is currently working on many fascinating shows. However, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is unlike any other project in their pipeline and this should make things doubly interesting when the show releases on April 26, 2017.
