About this episode
Who gets to Kill Bill?
As in, who’s allowed to seek revenge when they've been wronged by a man? That was the question at the top of Brittany’s mind after seeing Alesha Harris’ Is God Is, a film following twin sisters on a quest to kill their abusive father. The film has been a surprise hit, but there’s a subsection of men who felt this portrayal of a ‘bad’ Black man was in poor taste.
That made Brittany wonder: in the pantheon of vengeance films featuring female protagonists, what does it mean to seek justice? And what does catharsis look like when the villain is sometimes patriarchy itself?
To help answer those questions and more, Brittany is joined by film critic and programmer Jourdain Searles and staff culture writer at Slate, Nadira Goffe.
Want more about women in film?
What women want: to embrace their inner monsters
The new "final girl" in horror; plus, who's afraid of a horny hag?
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Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse
For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.
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As in, who’s allowed to seek revenge when they've been wronged by a man? That was the question at the top of Brittany’s mind after seeing Alesha Harris’ Is God Is, a film following twin sisters on a quest to kill their abusive father. The film has been a surprise hit, but there’s a subsection of men who felt this portrayal of a ‘bad’ Black man was in poor taste.
That made Brittany wonder: in the pantheon of vengeance films featuring female protagonists, what does it mean to seek justice? And what does catharsis look like when the villain is sometimes patriarchy itself?
To help answer those questions and more, Brittany is joined by film critic and programmer Jourdain Searles and staff culture writer at Slate, Nadira Goffe.
Want more about women in film?
What women want: to embrace their inner monsters
The new "final girl" in horror; plus, who's afraid of a horny hag?
Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.
Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse
For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
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