Such a fun movie! I took Friday off this week (not for the movie, for spring cleaning) and I went to a midday show. The perfect spring film to watch on a sunny afternoon.
Can a film be feminist by exclusion? I’m gonna say yes! This film has no violence against women, no women who are defined by their roles as wives/mothers/girlfriends, and no women who are “housewives”. And no one who finds that odd, this is the reality of the world, women work and earn money and have worries beyond partners and children.
On the other hand, there’s no actual “message” in the film. Or a lot of depth or meaning. It’s just fun, just watching these characters live their lives and hit the beats of the narrative. It’s very very pleasant, but I could easily forget it in a week. On the other hand, that means I can also come back to it in a week and watch it and enjoy it all over again, and then forget it again. A gift!
The songs are forgettable, the characters are forgettable, the plot twists are forgettable. I think what I will remember most is just the setting, the reality of the daily lives of these women. Flight Attendant is a glamorous job everywhere, and especially in India. Our heroines are beautiful women with perfect make-up and high heels and short skirts. And then the film gently pushes away that surface and shows the grind of humiliation from the superiors, low pay, corporate uncaring, long hours, and repetitive tasks. Most of all it shows that this job is not done because it is “fun” or “glamorous”, it’s because they need MONEY. And it is one of the few jobs that a woman in India can get and bring money home. Our heroines are the top earners in their household and they go into work every day so they can bring money home, just like anyone else. That’s memorable!
Watch the film for the fun, for the reality of work, for the super charming actors (Shout out to Diljit Dosanjh! Super sexy in this), for a fun girls night out, forget about it, and 3 months later watch it again for a girls night in on Netflix!