By Hayden Wright
Madonna took International Women’s Day very seriously and released a 12-minute short film full of images and ideas about femininity. Her Story was directed by Luigi & Iango, and features Madonna (shot in black and white) roaming the streets and observing various scenes of women. The avant-garde statement piece is short on direct political pronouncements (and perhaps that’s for the best) but the film wraps up with a quote from Hillary Clinton: “Women’s rights are human rights.”
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Her Story features a cameo by musician Libby Larkin who performs her song “Billy Goat,” romantic dance sequences and fighting hounds. Its eight chapters share brief vignettes connected to the themes of womanhood and resisting tyranny. It marks the latest installment in her “Revolution of Love” phase, which started with secretprojectrevolution in 2013 and informed much of her Rebel Heart Tour in 2015-16.
In the film’s most striking sequence, Madonna gazes over New York city wearing angel wings and a cut noose around her neck—a kind of guardian angel for cultural pluralism. Her Story gives the pop queen another chance to explore her love of Old Hollywood, and her noirish tribute to women came at just the right moment.
Watch Her Story here: