Working in an industry such as entertainment, be it on paper, digital or audiovisual, always involves a series of commitments. Especially if you think highly of yourself and what your job means. Most of the time you will not be able to tell or talk about what you want, and if you do you will have to do it in a way tailored to the needs of the industry.
And of course, when you compromise part of what you do, there is the question of whether this ends up having the repercussions that you really want. the series of social changes produced over the decades, and the apparent slowness with which they occur, almost invites us to think that these commitments have very long-term effects, although sometimes it gives the feeling that we are going back to square one. Part of this shines in one of the covered series of the year: ‘Minx’, available on HBO Max.
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Far from what it may seem with the above, ‘Minx’ is a comedy. And not a drama disguised as a comedy, or a “high” comedy that proliferates so much in streaming series. ‘minx’ is a comedy-comedy, without multi-camera but with some sitcom essencewhich lets its thematic ambitions about feminism, sex, the entertainment industry or journalism penetrate in capsules of less than 30 minutes.
The series follows Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond), an ambitious journalist and feminist activist who wants to put out a magazine aimed at women that deals with issues that they believe are of real interest to the cause in the middle of the second wave of feminism – this includes everything from genital mutilation women in Africa to rape during marriage. For whatever reason, no investor wants to bet on it. Only one person sees potential in herand it is precisely who least expects.
He ends up teaming up with Doug (Jake Johnson), a smarmy but seemingly small-time editor and publisher despite editing more than a dozen magazines. But there’s a catch: they’re all porn mags, and he’s looking to reshape Joyce’s mag into another erotic publication that’s geared toward women. The editorial content is taken care of entirely by her, but there has to be male nudes as the central axis of each copy.
‘Minx’: a gem to uncover
Ellen Rapoport’s series has incredible production value to make a careful seventies setting, but it does not seek to make a realistic story. Her intentions are more to explore apparently current issues to reflect how there were already the same concerns in the past, and how little has been done to advance during this time.
And how a series of specific individuals managing the production machinery have ensured that these advances do not occur at the necessary pace.
All this sounds like a very ambitious and even transgressive series, but really the value of ‘Minx’ is in how it does it without giving up a fresh lightness typical of its genre. He wants to appeal to the viewer’s intellect to touch on interesting issues but never wants to stop entertaining them.
That’s why it’s one of the best series this year and that’s why she shouldn’t remain the stuffy one for much longer.
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