‘Snatches: Moments from Women’s Lives’ Recap

Written by Shae Rufe

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(Jodie Comer in 'Bovril Pam')

This past weekend BBCAmerica aired a sensational project unlike any other program I have ever seen. Snatches: Moments from Women's Lives contained 8 stories, all told by women, in a setting much befitting the stage. Each segment shared a brutally truthful reality that we all face today. The unique style was eloquently done by each actress who added an emotional element that could not be reproduced. The choices of subject matter ranged from revolutions to sexual assault and some in-between. One piece in particular stood out as a futuristic look at what humanity’s reaction would be if racial scales were tipped. 

Three of the eight stories were about sex in some form. 'Bovril Pam' starts out innocent enough. The young secretary played by actress Jodie Comer speaks to us about a new co-worker, one we aren’t supposed to like, and humorously we don’t. Eventually though, Jodie’s character turns the topic from hating a co-worker into a sexual awakening. Pam asks if she’s ever had any orgasm before, and the secretary hasn’t. Pam has, and it was another girl who gave it to her. Taking place in the 60’s amidst the start of the sexual revolution, this piece delivers a very eye opening experience into the discovery of one's sexuality. Rather, ones' sexual experimentation; in a time where sex was a very repressed topic, let alone something even friends spoke of. The idea of achieving an orgasm with a woman has our young secretary thanking Pam and questioning her sexuality.  

Along with this are probably the two darkest subjects, in my opinion. 'Compliance' and 'Pig Life' deal with the very heavy topic of rape. I’ll admit, these two were personally hard to watch. However, this is a very real and very important thing that needs to be addressed. The way this was done was so beautiful, so heart breaking, that while I was troubled, I was also proud. I was proud to have someone openly talk about what it’s like, first hand, and what you feel while it happens. Especially in the States where it’s such a taboo topic at the moment.  In 'Compliance' we have a young actress meeting her producer in a hotel room. Things quickly go south as he assaults her. The powerful imagery from being in character and on a stage only to transition to the wig and make up being pulled away is so brilliant. It was like taking off the mask you wear only to reveal the pain beneath. Our actress finishes her soliloquy while in a shower, fully clothed, and describing the most violent parts of her experience.

In companion, 'Pig Life' shines light on marital rape, which was made illegal in the U.K. in 1991. The wife lays on a bed and talks about the husband she once loved, the man who takes what he wants as if it’s his right, and the brutal realization of what he did to her. Coming to terms with being a victim of rape is perhaps the hardest thing to go through. My heart snapped in half for what she went through. For the powerful emotions that she expressed are a hard truth that many women still face this today. This piece was perhaps the most accurate at the aftermath. To say something means you’re admitting to being a victim while to say nothing means you’re omitting that it happened. Yet, to do both means you’re judged. It is the judgement that is the hardest to face.

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(Liv Hill in 'Reclaim the Night')

Amongst these amazing scenes we had three revolving around revolutions of sorts. 'Pritilata' centered around a young Indian woman who joined the militant forces to fight the British and free India from its rule. The young woman is dead set on being seen as just as valuable as an Indian man. The power in this speech was something that struck me in a way that made me want to fight too! This scene did not shine away from the sexism that Indian women faced, and all women still face, today. She addressed this as though she were talking to her mother. Begging for acceptance and demanding to be seen as a martyr, a warrior, and not just some girl. Along side this we had 'Outside', the story of a women celebrating her 100th birthday, talking to her grand daughter. All the while, some type of revolution is taking place outside. It’s not explicitly addressed which revolution, but given the subject matter of life and fighting for equality it could be safe to assume this is somewhere in the 60’s as well.  

This one was much lighter, as our delightful actress, Corinne Skinner-Carter, describes her character's life, including her love of her late husband and some racy comments about his endowments. While she is all for teaching her grand daughter, in the end, she puts her marching boots back on and joins the revolution outside.  While this last one wasn’t really a revolution, it also wasn’t not a revolution. Perhaps my favorite of the eight episodes, 'Reclaim the Night', was set in the 1977 Yorkshire Curfew, where women were not allowed out past 9 p.m. without male escorts. This lit a fire in me and John can attest that I actually screamed at the TV with the actress. This piece was strong, it was beautiful, and I was 100% invested in breaking any curfews too! The sad truth of this being a reality is oddly not as shocking as it should be. While the actress demanded to have the situation flipped and have men stay inside until the killer is caught had me almost jumping off the couch in agreement. I wasn’t just angry, I was on board!

'Multiples' saw us confronted with the awful scenario of the death of one's children. We saw a mother and wife talk about the death of her first baby. And then her second. And then her third. After that it was determined that she had killed them all and was locked away, her husband left, and nobody believed her innocence. That is, until one lawyer came along and fought for her. The saddest part is, even though she won her freedom, her poor children were still gone with no explanation as to what had really happened. Then we have 'Tipping Point', a story of a black woman about to give birth and officially tip the racial scales. Set in an unknown future, our lead is having to hide in a hospital because of angry people rioting over this fact. She shares a story about her childhood with her grandmother, where a neighbor murdered his half black baby daughter simply for the color of her skin. This tackles racism on a scale that many other shows dare not touch. The young mother warns her attacker’s to stay away and leave her be. The message being that if we are all people and racism supposedly no longer exists, then why were people so mad that they’d come looking for her?

All in all, each topic found a way to connect with its audience on some level. This brilliant piece was such an innovative way to showcase eight different stories in a unique light and I really hope we continue to see more shows that feature brave and powerful stories such as these in the future.

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