Rent Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power (2019)

Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

In her Masterclass series of videos, Margaret Atwood gives one of the inspiring aspects of her writing: She always writes about stuff that is currently affecting herself and the world. She doesn’t so much dream about the future as she eviscerates the present. It’s very much the tone of many dystopian novels, where the authors write about their own times than the futures they portray. They’re not speculating with books like 1984 or Fareneight 451; they’re commenting on the here and now. It only seems like such authors were prophetic because we see how little has changed over time.

This is very much the case with Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian tale where women’s rights are stripped away in America. America becomes more of a Christian nationalist state amid sinking birthrates, where women are treated less like people and more like vessels for population growth. The books became popular enough that they would lead to the Hulu TV series of the same name, arriving quite poignantly in 2017 after Donald Trump was sworn into office of Presidency.

While Atwood’s writings were certainly of their time and I hesitate to refer to such authors as prophetic, The Handmaid’s Tale would ultimately become closer to reality than we’d like. There was plenty of scoffing amid both the book and the TV series debut that such a reality would ever come to be. It seemed too hyperbolic at the time but look at what has happened since. At the moment, America currently has bans on abortion in a number of states. I am currently reading news about an abortion clinic in North Dakota debating whether or not they have to cross into Minnesota to continue operating. Living in Minnesota right now, it feels like the safe haven of the upper midwest, where those who require an abortion and basic human rights have to flee.

Given that this documentary came about in 2019, the film never gets that far into having an I-told-you-so moment. And why would Atwood want to be proud of that? Nobody wants this. The film mostly focuses on her career and how much of an impact she’s had on politics with her provocative writings. As such, the film becomes almost too lost in revering Atwood’s work, to the point where even her history is given a certain nostalgic glaze. For example, did you know there was a Handmaid’s Tale TV movie in the 1990s? If you didn’t know that, it’s because it wasn’t all that great or highly regarded. Still, Atwood speaks with some impression at being able to see her words take shape in a manner more pleasing than the reality we currently occupy.

This documentary is a bit too flowery at times. Some moments just feature talking heads gushing about Atwood, sometimes surrounding her at talks and conventions where they show great appreciation. While there is some level of warmth in watching Atwood look over the new cover for her book to be connected with the show, it feels more like a DVD extra than a moment worthy of a documentary.

In case it needed to be said here, Atwood is not perfect. Her detractors will no doubt cite her dated and troubling views of trans women, an aspect that highlights how much of aged feminism is still stuck in the third generation. That being said, her works still resonate and it’s hard to deny the impact she has left on literature and politics. As of this writing, The Handmaid’s Tale is currently proceeding into its fifth season. The show is still just as powerful and will continue to be some of the most important television as human rights continue to erode.