Happy Saturday, all! For those in the US and Canada, happy Daylights Savings weekend. Clocks “spring forward” one hour at 2 AM tonight, so we lost an hour this weekend. Thus, I’m keeping this post rather short.

I haven’t had the opportunity to check out all the Oscar-nominated shorts, but last week my friend shared a link to one of them: Jane Austen’s Period Drama, which is a satire of Pride and Prejudice. Being an active member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Minnesota Chapter, I couldn’t resist watching it right away. Honestly, I liked it so much that I’ve already watched it twice! 

England, 1813. Just as Miss Estrogenia Talbot is about to receive a long-anticipated marriage proposal, she unexpectedly gets her period early. Her charming suitor, Mr. Dickley, misinterprets the blood as a wound, revealing that his pricey education has definitely overlooked some important details.

This is such a clever idea that offers a fresh perspective on historical romantic fiction, aiming to break the stigma and inform viewers about menstruation. Written by Julia Aks and Steve Pinder, I read in this Deadline interview that the film was conceived as a three-minute sketch. Both Aks and Pinder enjoy wordplay, and Aks was raised by a dad who constantly cracks dad jokes and puns. This made her wonder, what if there was a period drama centered around periods? The concept was just so ridiculous and playful.

The character names are a riot: Estrogenia Talbot (Elizabeth Bennet) and her sisters Labinia and Vagianna; plus James Dickley (Mr. Darcy, of course) – all fitting perfectly with the ‘period’ theme, ha! The short film goes beyond just being funny and includes some genuinely educational bits. I was surprised to see how the dialogue explained the scientific aspects of the menstrual cycle. It’s so funny watching Estrogenia matter-of-factly explain women’s bodily functions to the bewildered yet intrigued Dickley, who takes it all in with his little notebook!

The scenery and music are gorgeous; the filmmakers did a wonderful job of creating the Regency-era set pieces, wardrobe, etc. Much better than the bigger-budget Jane Austen’s so-called adaptations that couldn’t get even the costumes right. I’m looking at you, Hallmark!

Aks and Taʻimua (who plays Mr. Dickley) are a joy to watch. It’s great to see ‘color blind’ casting in action, with a Hawaii-born actor taking on the role of a traditional British romantic hero.

Even though it mainly took inspiration from P&P, the proposal part actually includes some lines from Sense & Sensibility. How awesome is it that Dame Emma Thompson, who played Miss Elinor Dashwood in S&S, got involved in the project as the “Executive Menstrual Advisor.”

Hope you enjoy this little diversion. What do you think of this short film?