Yours in Sisterhood

The idea is a simple and powerful one: somewhere in the United States, a woman reads a letter sent 40 years ago to Ms.,  which launched in 1972 and was the first mainstream feminist magazine in the country.

Filmmaker Irene Lusztig sifted through the archive of letters and sought out suitable readers for each one she selected—the writers and the readers have more in common than their place of residence. A policewoman reads aloud a letter from someone who couldn’t get work as an officer or security guard because she was a woman. At a gas station, the frustrations of a garage owner are heard at last. Some of the letters are read aloud by their original authors. How do they look back at the women they once were?

The readers look straight into the static camera as they stand on a lawn, a street or a sidewalk. In the background, life goes on as usual. Afterwards, the readers provide their reaction to the letter. The sheer variety of women, subject matter and opinions means this film is a fascinating study of feminism: then, now and in the future.