Watch His & Hers

His & Hers is a bittersweet Irish documentary that explores the intricacies of female life, as seen through the eyes of 70 women from different generations and backgrounds. Directed by Ken Wardrop, the film tells a woeful tale of love, relationships, heartbreak, and stomach-churning intimate struggles, narrated through candid interviews of women spanning from eight to eighty years old.

The documentary, which was mostly shot in Westmeath, County Meath, Ireland, seamlessly weaves together the interviews of the women to create a profound reflection on the feminine experience. The interviews are divided into three groups, based on the women's age demographics: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Each group reveals unique challenges and joys that women go through at different stages in life, giving the overall impression that no matter our age or status, every woman has a story that is worth sharing.

The opening of the film introduces eight years old Leah Holohan, who speaks about her close bond with her father. Her innocent and charming outlook on life sets the tone of what to expect in the film. Leah's interview is followed by several other girls, each with different tales of coping with growing up in a world that can be relentless towards girls.

As the documentary progresses into the adolescent stage, the stories become more poignant and reflective of the pressures that come with puberty. Teenage crushes, body image, and peer pressure are just some of the experiences that the girls narrate candidly. While some concur with the societal expectations of what it means to be a girl, others are adamant about breaking the mold and being their own person.

In the final stages of the film, the adult women share their personal stories about falling in love and building a family. The women's accounts offer a glimpse into their fear of heartbreak and the struggle of being a wife and mother. Though most of the women's interviews had the context of love, the narratives didn't shy away from difficult themes such as grief, fertility issues, and coping with loss.

Through each interview and stage of life, His & Hers depicts the shared experiences of women, regardless of age or background. The narrative is powerful in that it captures real-life moments that viewers can relate to, regardless of language, race or gender. Wardrop's ability to capture the essence of womanhood in an incredibly intimate way without going over the top with cliches is a feat that many documentaries fail at.

The film's cinematography is also worth noting, as the director uses an innovative technique whereby the visual imagery of a woman is only shown once she is being spoken to, and once her portrait disappears, the interview continues. The effect of this is a picturesque incorporation of the interviews with images of the women who form the focus of the documentary.

With a runtime of 80 minutes, His & Hers is an enlightening and captivating view of female life experience through the eyes of women. The film resonates with viewers, as each story is ordinary yet profound in the way it encourages the viewer to look beyond the surface and into the depth of the lives of those around us. Ultimately, the documentary is alluring, thought-provoking, and one of the best illustrations of what it means to be human.