In celebration of Women’s History Month, the all-female team of film critics at FF2 Media were assigned to write about their favorite female artists – and where to watch their work.
In a time like this, when we can’t be physically close to other people, Fleabag, written and directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, will have you feeling the core of your humanity more than ever.
Watching this show will turn your boring quarantine into a BLAST. You can forget about the world ending for a moment and enjoy yourself thoroughly, all while supporting work created by women and showing strong female characters. Strength, in this case, meaning being incredibly open about your emotions and being honest that you are not perfect. And isn’t that the strongest thing of all? We all cry and fail and make mistakes—not being afraid to admit that is true heroism. That is human.
Through Amazon’s Prime Video you can stream every episode from seasons one and two—and you just might do that all in one day. Waller-Bridge’s show is an expansion from her one-woman play with the same title. See our review for her performance on stage here: Fleabag’s Last Song.
Fleabag is clever, hilarious, and relatable, as well as heartfelt, tragic, and lovely. It is all those things at once because that is how life is—and Waller-Bridge is a genius at capturing that in a personal and unique way. Every moment is rich and juicy in both story and wit. Waller-Bridge (who has masterfully hilarious expressions) talks to the camera, and confides in the audience with reactive looks as things go on around her. This camera work is included tastefully, not overdone, and it never gets old.
Following a London-based woman just trying to get through life, the show chronicles her romantic relationships, family struggles, career—everything is on the table. In this way, the show grabs your heart. She uses comedy to deflect the tragedies in the show in a very natural human way. Waller-Bridge is honest with the audience, in that way you feel as if you know her while you’re watching.
Watching Fleabag was definitely in the top three of hardest I’ve ever laughed at a television show – and with its second season, the show only getting better and better. Each episode, each season is more ridiculous and perfect than the last.
While this show may not be a good pick for the whole family stuck together (there are a few explicit scenes and a lot of explicit language), if you’re looking for something to watch with / or virtually with your friends or significant other this is a great choice.
The cast of Fleabag includes stunning performances from seasoned actors Olivia Coleman (Oscar winner for The Favourite) and Andrew Scott (in Oscar-nominated 1917), giving the show incredible dimension—and every actor in the show is on point, whether you already knew their name or not.
Thank goodness for streaming during this quarantine and thank goodness for artists like Waller-Bridge who create such entertaining content for us. Now, go have fun and watch!
© Carlotta Plys-Garzotto (3/28/20) FF2 Media
Photo credits: Amazon Prime Video
