JUST LIKE A WOMAN
Trying To Mend Two Broken Lives
What You Need To Know
JUST LIKE A WOMAN tells the story of two Chicago women from broken homes. Despite being loving and committed to their spouses, each woman has had dysfunctional, unhappy experiences in their marriages.
As the story opens, Mona’s (Golshifteh Farahani) mother-in-law is forcing her to be treated for infertility by a voodoo practitioner. Marilyn (Sienna Miller), an aspiring belly-dancer, is the first to say enough is enough after finding her husband is having an affair. She decides to travel to Santa Fe for a major audition for belly dancers.
After yet another evening of being verbally abused and belittled by her mother-in-law, followed by a tragic accident, Mona also flees from home. The two coincidentally meet up and decide to hit the road together. During their adventures, as they travel to Santa Fe, they get each other in and out of trouble, grow in their own identity and become the best of friends.
JUST LIKE A WOMAN is fairly entertaining. The production values and acting are good. The costumes are colorful, festive, and authentic. The Middle Eastern/Moroccan music used for the belly dances is genuine, but the dances go on too long.
The worldview in JUST LIKE A WOMAN is lightly moral. Marilyn and Mona show compassion for each other. Despite their own pain, they care for someone beside themselves. Little reference is made to God, except for a cliché comment by the voodoo witch doctor that “God works in mysterious ways.” It’s unclear what “god” she’s referring to, because she uses voodoo to induce fertility for Mona.
JUST LIKE A WOMAN is like a culturally diverse version of THELMA AND LOUISE. It’s about a white woman and an Egyptian woman who take a long distance road trip away from their cares and trauma in Chicago to freedom and adventure on the road to Santa Fe. However, there is some strong foul language and lewd content, so extreme caution is warranted.
