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Dystopian Comedy Echoes 80s Fears
20 Apr
Summary
- New film mirrors 1980s sketch imagining female world domination.
- Sketch inspired by Margaret Thatcher's rise to power in the UK.
- Older French short film praised for its sharp, non-comedic critique.
The recently released trailer for the Netflix film 'Ladies First,' starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, presents a satirical vision of a world taken over by women. This concept is strikingly similar to 'The Worm That Turned,' a series of sketches from the 1980s UK television show 'The Two Ronnies.'
'The Worm That Turned' was a direct response to Margaret Thatcher's election as Prime Minister, depicting a society where women progressively gained power, leading to a reversal of traditional gender roles. The sketches portrayed men being forced into dresses and women adopting an authoritarian stance.
However, the film 'Ladies First' shares an even more direct lineage with the 2018 French film 'I Am Not an Easy Man,' which explores a similar premise of a chauvinist protagonist finding himself in a matriarchal society. This film itself is a remake of the director Éléonore Pourriat's 2010 short film, 'Majorité Opprimée.'
'Majorité Opprimée' is lauded for its potent, condensed narrative, offering a stark and serious portrayal of a man facing societal devaluation and sexual harassment. Unlike its descendants, it avoids comedic elements to deliver a powerful, personal statement on systemic neglect.
