Film Review: PERIODICAL: An Engaging New Documentary Examines That Uncomfortable Time of the Month [SXSW 2023]

Periodical Review

Periodical (2023) Film Review from the 30th Annual South by Southwest Film Festival, a movie directed by Lina Plioplyte and starring Angel Shari Brown, Kiran Gandhi, Kourtney Gleason, Anna Konkle, Naomi Watts and Gloria Steinem.

Filmmaker Lina Plioplyte has crafted Periodical, a truly intriguing documentary about women and for women but it also has just enough humor and heart to win over anybody who may just know a special woman coping with that monthly “visitor.” What makes the movie so appealing is its fast, kinetic pace and its deep, inspiring look at ambitious people who are willing to fight to deal with the injustices that surround them when it comes to that awkward time of the month. Plioplyte’s film is bold and fearless and features inspiring real-life people who could lead audiences to cheer them on as they go through their brave agendas.

This film features an in-depth look at how sex education is lacking completeness in America and the picture showcases a look at how girls and women deal with their menstrual cycle. The movie even gives a history of how the first tampon was invented by a man. Our featured woman wonders if it wasn’t a man’s wife who inspired the male to create the tampon because how would he otherwise know the experience of a woman regarding her period and the comfort factor in terms of using something like a tampon.

There is an example of how periods are displayed in the media with a disturbing clip from the horror film, Carrie among others. It isn’t that society is dealing negatively with the female menstrual cycle all the time but that there is a great deal of ignorance in how it has been portrayed on screen in the past.

Periodical also talks about how a woman can get pregnant at a certain time during the month and the film shows us the science behind the biological aspects of the bloody monthly visitor. This film could serve as an excellent example of the facts that exist for young girls and is a curiosity piece for those females who want to learn more about what, exactly, their period is and what they have to do in order to cope with the stress that could surround it.

The heart of the film is the fight to eliminate the tampon tax across the country and the movie shows a court battle by a key female in the picture who changed the rules in Michigan. It is simply not fair that a woman should be charged extra for dealing with something which is beyond her control and it’s inspiring to see how the fight for fairness leads to victories that eliminate things which should have never existed in the first place, such as the tax on tampons.

One sequence shows an athlete running a marathon during the time of her period and not letting the monthly cycle affect her ability to shine as a human being, regardless of what is going on down below. This woman is one example of someone who doesn’t let her biological situation define who she is or what she is capable of as a human being during that specific time in her life.

What’s most surprising about Periodical is that the famous people it showcases such as Naomi Watts (who appears to talk about menopause) and Gloria Steinem do not make for the best scenes in the movie. Their scenes are fine but it was much more interesting to watch the girls fighting the tampon tax and the ordinary heroes living their day-to-day lives while coping heroically with their menstrual cycle. It is awe-inspiring to see women triumph and accomplish things in their life that many people could actually take for granted. A film as educational as this one is certainly welcome.

Periodical offers a glimpse behind the scenes of something we all know exists but, all too often, ignore. In exploring a topic which seemed kind of obvious at first, the audience will open its eyes as to the trials and tribulations of dealing with something that is ongoing for a huge portion of a woman’s life. Because of some of our onscreen heroines and the endeavors they pursue, we see how and why poorer people should not be forced to pay a tax on something which they have no control of. Why they even had to pay tax on a tampon at any time in history is a question almost as big as questions surrounding the meaning of life itself.

Lina Plioplyte is to be commended for this fascinating documentary which is both unique and enormously entertaining. Who ever knew that a movie about the menstrual cycle could inspire viewers to want to stand up and cheer at certain points? That is the beauty of the fun and informative picture that is Periodical.

Rating: 8/10

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