Recently, we have been seeing quite a few rom-com's being released that share their titles with popular songs. Most notable entries have been the 2019 film Last Christmas, and the 2022 film What's Love Got to Do With It. Similarly, What A Feeling is a title we most register with the 1983 hit song from Flashdance by Irene Cara. The song is an undeniable classic, an enveloping melody of positivity. Filmmaker Kat Roher has used this song and formed it into a delightful rom-com following two middle-aged women who start to have a romantic relationship.
What A Feeling follows a doctor called Marie Theres (Caroline Peters) whose life falls apart when her husband leaves, her daughter rebels, and she makes a near-fatal mistake at work. Marie Theres meets Fa (Proschat Madani), an Iranian woman who runs her own carpentry business, and the two women are drawn to each other despite their differences. The film explores how Marie Theres and Fa must break free from their self-imposed limitations to find happiness.
What A Feeling is an absolute joy. It's sophisticated, fun, and full of heart. The leads have great chemistry and amazing comedic timing, making you fall in love with them individually and root for them as a couple. There's also a lot of other conversations going on within the story, with Marie having to deal with her husbands mid-life crisis, dealing with her emerging emotional attraction to women, and the sexual harassment from her boss. Meanwhile, Fa also has her own journey as she has never come out to her mother due to her anxiety of how she will perceive her given their cultural background.
It's great to see fantastic representation on screen. A good portion of the film is spent at a local lesbian bar that Fa has been a regular at for a while. It's a great opportunity to delve into the lesbian world, and the film makes some very fascinating points. During one scene, Marie's gay colleague Gerald goes with her to see Fa at the bar. While Marie and Fa are in talking, Gerald speaks to the owner of the bar and they have an exchange of how this lesbian bar is sacred because there aren't many exclusive bars just for lesbians, whereas there are a number of gay bars. This is such an intriguing point about the LGBTQ+ community that offers insight to how important this space is to the lesbian community.
Marie and Fa are such great characters, and Roher leaves no stone unturned throughout the film. This is a perfect rom-com; the meet-cute feels modern, the leads are fleshed out, and there are interesting obstacles that each character has to deal with, either individually or together.
What A Feeling screened at One Fluid Night, 15-17 November 2024