Feminist Fantasy Blends Whimsy and Salient Points About Women's Roles

As of October 22nd, 2025, a new feminist fantasy film has been generating buzz on the festival circuit. Titled "The Ballad of a Small Player," the debut feature from director Julia Jackman blends elements of "The Handmaid's Tale" and "The Arabian Nights" into a visually striking parallel medieval world.

In this world, created by a being called Kiddo, the patriarchal "Beak Brothers" cult wields power, forcing women to marry and produce sons for their husbands. One such woman is Cherry, a young bride in her late 20s who is facing a dire predicament - if she fails to give her husband Jerome a child, she will be executed.

As Cherry's situation grows increasingly dire, her maid Hero steps in, weaving a fantastical tale of the "League of Secret Storytellers," a group of women who risked everything to read and write, considered "sinful, wicked and forbidden" acts. Through Hero's story, Cherry begins to awaken to the oppression around her and find the courage to challenge the system.

Jackman's film has been praised for its whimsical aesthetic and its ability to blend feminist themes with imaginative world-building. While the prologue may be a bit "aggressively twee" for some, the film ultimately delivers a compelling fable about the suppression of women and their fight for freedom and self-determination.