Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: TV And Film
Katherine Sidnell
With so much binge-able TV, it can be hard to know what to watch on Netflix but Women At War is proving to be the streaming site’s best new boxset.
The taut drama follows four very different women as their lives intersect at the height of WWI, with each struggling to cope as the conflict rages on.
It’s been dubbed the most ‘important series on Netflix’ for its realistic portrayal of war – similar to All Quiet on the Western Front.
Advert
However, the big difference is that it's entirely female lead – much to audiences’ delight.
One fan even tweeted that they completed the series in a single night, adding that they ‘regret nothing’.
They said: “It depicted that war is truly hell, there's nothing good about it. Each character is flawed and they're just a human.”
With four lead female protagonists, it’s hard not to find one character you’ll identify with across the intense eight-part series, which is set in rural Saint Paulin in 1914.
It’s here that worlds collide as Marguerite, a sex worker from Paris, meets factory owner Caroline, devoted nun Agnes and Suzanne, a feminist nurse.
The group quickly come together as the town begins building a military hospital, as it struggles to cope with the number of war-wounded soldiers arriving each day.
Also known as Les Combattantes, the series is a must-watch for all period drama fans with its mixture of gripping storylines and heartbreaking romance.
However, the show has also been praised for its realistic treatment of abuse, abortion and sexual assault - at a time where less than 10 countries had allowed women to vote.
Though it’s a difficult watch at points, fans have been eager for others to watch the series, and for good reason.
The series gives viewers a horrific glimpse of a world before feminism and laws that protect women’s rights.
As one Twitter user put it: “When women speak against feminism, especially in their pursuit for being housewives…they speak from a place of privilege,”.
Continuing the lengthy tweet, they added “…they enjoy feminist laws but choose to be ignorant of what a world without feminism would look like. If you are this woman, watch Women at war on Netflix”.
With laws protecting women’s rights being overturned in the US and elsewhere in the world, the series acts as a timely reminder for all women of the struggle we all still face.