Sally Wainwright’s new SBS series about middle-aged women forming a punk band in West Yorkshire
Women of Rebellion ★ ★ ★ ★
British screenwriter and director Sally Wainwright has a special magic with dialogue. His words are arranged with scalpel-sharp precision and lend credibility to each character, making you forget that they are embellishing a script.
Such is the case of grieving Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Wainwright’s award-winning series Happy Valley; 19th-century maverick Anne Lister Gentleman Jack; Brontë sisters Walking Invisible; and his late girlfriend Ceila Dawson The last Tango in Halifax. Wainwright writes the female characters superbly (the male characters are also very good).
Witness a new cast of expertly crafted, wildly diverse and conversation-provoking characters in his latest installment of the six-episode drama series. Women of Rebellion. Set on Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, the film is directed by five mostly middle-aged women: Beth (Joanna Scanlan, Slow Horses, Thickness), Kitty (Rosalie Craig, hack), Jess (Lorraine Ashbourne, Receiving Is Not Normal), Holly (Tamsin Greig, Black Books) and Yvonne (Amelia Bullmore, Happy Valley, Crown).
These women, consisting of a teacher, a retired police officer, the landlady of a bar, a midwife and a thief with a criminal record in prison, decide to form a punk band, having been oppressed to varying degrees throughout their lives.
For Beth, dealing with self-centered family members, a departing spouse, and increasing invisibility at work (“They all had the best of me,” she says of her son and ex-husband. “And now that I’ve got nothing left to give, I’m indispensable”), musical collaborations literally save her life. He’s in the middle of putting a noose around his neck when Jess calls to suggest they start a group for a charity job.
Women of Rebellion it’s about women—funny, angry, smart, tired, hopeful, struggling women—having fun and also finding a place to proclaim (loudly, with amplifiers!) who they are, what they think, and the values they often forget.
It’s about the million ways middle-aged women handle kids, partners, parents, work, retirement, and love (new and old) while also pursuing wants and needs that aren’t boring, old fart preferences.
It’s about the assumptions made about women over 50, and in Wainwright’s hands it’s delivered with unbridled reality, wisdom and intelligence.
Scanlan as Beth is particularly compelling. It’s amazing to watch her emerge joy and regained sense of power as she writes and performs songs that convey burning emotions and thoughts. The moment when the self-centered son Tom and his girlfriend are put in their shoes is quite satisfying. Greig’s hilarious first date and unflinching investigation into the despicable behavior of an obnoxious co-worker are riveting. And Ashbourne’s ever-volcanic ability to speak his mind with candor shines through here.
Wainwright brought together many of his past collaborators for this show: Scanlan, Anne Reid (Last Tango, Warm Fuzzies), Bullmore, Amit Shah, Kevin Doyle and Oliver Huntingdon. It’s also great to see new people joining him. Wainwright also makes a cameo in a recording studio bar in the final episode. And there are great original songs – Seeing Red, Just Like Your Mother And Women of Rebellion (“Let’s start a rebellion/We won’t be silent/We rule the world and we ain’t even tired”) – all belted out to increasingly adoring audiences.
Women of Rebellion is a winner. Three episodes of the series were directed by former Australian director Amanda Brotchie, who is also known for her work in films. Doctor Who, Gentleman Jack, Low, Traitor nell And Picnic at Hanging Rock. It’s definitely a must-watch production.
