Privilege
Rainer's 6th feature is a genuinely subversive movie about menopause. Out of a subject that has been denied on film by virtually everybody, Rainer has fashioned a witty, risky work about sexual identity and the unequal economies of race, gender and class.
‘Privilege’ is set in motion by clips from an old black and white educational film, facts and data shot off a Mac computer, and a mélange of characters with varied, provocative and often contrasting political critiques. Jenny, the white middle-aged protagonist, agrees to be interviewed by an African-American friend who is making a documentary about menopause. Her candid and revealing observations are punctuated by a “hot flash-back” of Rashomon-like intensity, revealing an experience she has kept secret for 25 years.
(Rainer's) most accessible film to date. Who else could spin hot flashes, Lenny Bruce, Carmen Miranda and soul on ice into such a pungent brew?
– Village Voice
Description Source: Cinenova Catalogue (1994). Edited by Kate Norrish. Editorial committee: Elaine Burrows, Liane Harris, Helen de Witt
