Hot Docs 2023 Review: Periodical

by Andrew Parker

Periodical looks at the various ways bad science, negative reception, suppressed knowledge, and male dominated attitudes towards reproductive rights have made menstruation a taboo topic.

Director Line Lyte Plioplyte (Advanced Style) centres Periodical around tireless advocates who want to tear down barriers of shame, provide better education, and combat the rise of period poverty that restricts and unfairly taxes medically necessary sanitary products. There are interviews with doctors, journalists, students, and celebrities that walk viewers through a variety of personal and clinical scenarios (including an impassioned Naomi Watts, who speaks eloquently about her struggles with early onset menopause), but the real joy comes form watching the on-the-ground fight to demystify this “particular time of the month” framed by patriarchal history that traditionally values fertility and reviles the period itself.

It’s a stylish, slick looking documentary, which might cause some older audience members to bristle a bit, but as Plioplyte showcases, miseducation isn’t limited solely by privilege, race, or age. Unafraid to use humour and positivity, Periodical could prove a major boost to young people wanting to learn more about their bodies and the controls placed over them, hopefully breaking cycles of injustice and trauma for future generations of menstruators.

Saturday, April 29, 2023 – 10:30 am – Isabel Bader Theatre

Sunday, April 30, 2023 – 3:00 pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

Friday, May 5, 2023 – 3:30 pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

Periodical will be available to stream across Canada via Hot Docs from May 5th to 9th.

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