Movies about rudderless men in their forties? A dime a dozen. Movies about ruderless Black women in their forties? Rare, to say the least.
Writer/director Radha Blank is here to expand the (non-existent?) genre with The Forty-Year-Old Version, a deeply personal debut that follows Radha, a down-on-her-luck NY playwright trying desperately to live up to the 30 Before 30 award she won over a decade ago.
Desperate for a breakthrough, she reinvents herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime. The film follows her as she vacillates between the worlds of hiphop and theater on a quest to find her true voice.
Winner of the Directing Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and shot in black and white 35mm, Blank’s film premieres on Netflix on October 9. Catch the trailer below.
