A woman is visited by herself at different ages to give their best advice.


WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE is used with permission from Kate Dearing. Learn more at https://katedearing.com.


Kate goes about her normal life, navigating the tasks of "adulting." She looks like any other woman, going on dates, shopping at night but she's haunted in every decision by the "visions" of her past and future selves.

Her inner sixyearold harangues her about her ice cream choices. Her sarcastic former teenager makes fun of her intention to go for a run and tries to talk her out of it. And her future older, hopefully wiser, self tries to talk sense into presentday Kate, telling to appreciate her younger, healthy self.

Made by the creative team of Amanda Cowper, Kate Dearing and Sami Kriegstein, this short comic gem offers an ingenuous look into the inner dialogues that often plague women, who often question everything from their bodies to their life decisions.

Even the simplest choices like what flavor of ice cream to eat to what to wear becomes a cacophony of thoughts, second guesses and motivational speeches, informed by influences ranging from pop culture to traumas both major and minor.

This idea is adroitly brought to life in the film which was a favorite at Tribeca Film Festival in 2017 through clever, noteperfect performances and witty dialogue. All the different Kates have a distinct take on events, and all clamor to feel heard and understood. Watching the present "adult" Kate try to keep these voices in line is a sharp, funny reminder that we never quite leave our pasts behind.

But we can learn to have accepting, even productive relationships with these past selves, acknowledging their needs and perspective while letting them know who's in charge. Eventually Kate corrals all her voices together, and while it's not exactly peaceful, they begin to coexist and help marshal her towards a small but positive "win."

By the time WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE hits its final, affectionately funny scene, we understand that it's possible to feel like a "powerful goddess" in everyday life, with a little help from all our selves as well as a fabulous hat.