With 'You Can Say Vagina' as a title, I had no idea what to expect from the indie feature, so, with an open mind I watched the plot unravel, until every inch of me was caught up in the gripping narrative of the film.
The pacing of the plot was executed to agonising perfection. The feature starts off with Ruby, starting her new venture - sleeping in a public toilet surrounded by all of her belongings. At first, her innocent adventure depicts those amazing chance meetings that you happen when you travel alone. Yet, it doesn't take long for the narrative to become bitter-sweet. Ultimately, the feature is a poignant depiction of how vulnerability can easily be exploited. With her sweet nature, she ends up in some of the most cringe-worthy predicaments I've ever seen played out on-screen. At first, her shy giggling demeanour can be a little grating, yet once her character starts to develop you see her true essence. The shy laughter is essentially a façade used to hide any form of real emotion. It isn't until later in the feature you get an idea of why she ran away and just what she's hiding.
You Can Say Vagina is an essential film with everything that is happening with our society. Women are expected to stand by and giggle whilst they get groped or sexualised. So, really, the plot isn't that far removed from a commentary on the 21st century Weinstein era. The scenes may have been orchestrated for comedic effect, yet, once you start to consider how atypical the enactments are in real life, the feature ultimately becomes sobering.
Co-writers and directors Mischa Baka and Siobhan Jackson come together to prove just why more women should be celebrated in the film industry. Their resonant approach to the feature provided a narrative which could never have been written by a male director, whilst they may be able to sympathise with a woman's plight, no one understands it more than another woman.
Notable mentions also have to go to the Melbourne actress who played Ruby, her unflinching guise of naivety was so organically executed, it made it hard to separate the fact from fiction. Tom McCathle and Josh Price also did a stellar job in raising the tension throughout the feature.
