Lady Parts (dir. Nancy Boyd)
By: Adam Freed
Nothing pins the needle on an uncomfortable conversation quite like the word vagina. For that matter, the stigma surrounding the discussion of female reproductive health is far closer to the 19th century than anything resembling the 21st. The question as to the persistence of the contemporary discomfort surrounding feminine issues is tackled in Nancy Boyd’s independent comedy Lady Parts. The film centers on 26 year old aspiring writer Paige, who, as the film opens, is scraping by in Los Angeles. While the story of an optimistic starry-eyed twenty-something trailblazing Hollywood hopes has been documented to death, Paige’s story is less career centric, focusing rather on a personal health journey that sets her career path on hold. Although Lady Parts is billed as a comedy, its greatest impact is found in the film’s handful of dramatic moments. The result is a story lukewarm upon delivery, yet bolstered by the charismatic performance of its star Valentina Tammaro (Cholita Takes L.A.).
Inspired by a screenplay written by Bonnie Gross, the conversation-inducing comedy follows Paige as she returns home to Pennsylvania to undergo an intensive surgery to relieve her of a form of vaginal pain that has made day to day life a nightmare, including sex and the use of a tampon. Paige’s “laugh to hide the tears” manner reads very clearly as a survival technique, until it becomes clear that there is medical hope for her on the other side of a very expensive out of pocket surgery. Lady Parts is a testament to the permanence of parental support, as Paige’s parents Linda (Amy Lyndon) and Steve (Peter Larney), move their struggling daughter back east for the purpose of taking care of her post-operation. As demoralizing as the idea of moving back home at 26 is for Paige, the adult relationship between her and her parents, particularly her mom, is an emotional highlight of Nancy Boyd’s film. Amy Lyndon (Face Love) captures the overbearing form of love that so many young adults face when forced back into the nest against their will. Lyndon and Tammaro share a natural chemistry that unearths the film’s most lasting thematic resonance, the cosmic and eternal bond of a mother and her daughter.
Through Paige’s physical hardship, and her subsequent road to recovery, Valentina Tammaro offers an inspired and conversation-inducing performance. Her character’s methodology in learning to cope with hardship presents an unexpected form of inspiration to the countless women who feel they must suffer in silence in the face of issues pertaining to reproductive health. The strength of Tammaro’s performance is in her ability to soften her demeanor as audiences will witness her character converting disappointment and physical pain into a form of creative outlet. While it struggles to maintain its comedic stronghold for the duration of the proceedings, Lady Parts has a great deal of merit when it comes to conversation pertaining to the stigma surrounding female anatomy.
Target Score 6.5/10 - Director Nancy Boyd runs headfirst into the once taboo conversation pertaining to female reproductive health with Lady Parts. The thematically rich film boasts multiple performances of note, despite its comedic inconsistencies.