Women is Losers (2021)

Women is Losers (2021) is a period piece which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March, 2021 before making its way to HBO Max in October of that same year, taking its ironically intended title from the Janis Joplin tune of the same name. Set amongst a community of immigrants living in San Francisco in the 1960s, the film tells the story of Celina (Lorenza Izzo), a woman whose strict Catholic upbringing has taught her that she is subservient to men. Celina has three strikes against her, as far as the world at large is concerned, being a woman, an immigrant, and a single mother, meaning that she's got to fight triply hard against the oppressive forces seeking to keep her down. Her childhood friend Mateo (Bryan Craig) spent nearly his entire life trying to seduce Celina and make her fall for him, and when she finally did, he got her pregnant and then split, leaving her alone with their child. She also has trouble making any headway at her job as her boss Gilbert (Simu Liu, best known as Marvel's Shang Chi) only seems interested in hitting on her rather than helping her dire financial situation. Nevertheless, Celina will persevere thanks to her gumption and can do attitude that will help her rise above her station in life, no matter what society says. Although Lorenza Izzo has never been shy about showing skin in the past, this girl power flick isn't all that focused on nudity, seeking to empower her character through other means. It's a good message for the women watching, but it's bound to disappoint the guys out there!