Ladies

Is she a lesbian? Bi-sexual? In love with her best friend? These are the questions quietly explored in Allison Bunce’s alluring short Ladies. The beauty of this film lying in its familiar and stringent representation of a seemingly queer best friend dynamic – one that feels all too real.

At the center of this story is Ruby, who begrudgingly goes on a trip with her best friend, Leila, to celebrate their not-so-close friend, Chloe, being a bride to be. However, the journey is much less about Chloe and much more about the dense headspace of Ruby – a well-written and relatable character you’ll want to wrap in a reassuring hug by the film’s end.

The title sequence – a haptic survey through a car window paired with a dreamy score and small, casual chatter between Ruby and Leila – instantly draws you into Ladies and quietly signals that this film is something special. The sequence may be brief, but it’s sharp, intelligent and sets the tone for how we’re meant to watch this story unfold.

“We decided to shoot on 16mm because of the authenticity it creates in the frame. I wanted the film’s atmosphere to have a lived in feeling that is unique to 16mm.” – Bunce on her approach to production

Bunce has a gift for using b-roll with voiceover that oozes realism. Throughout the film, this technique recurs, each time becoming deeper and more intense. Like Ruby, we’re seeing one thing, hearing another, and thinking something entirely different – it’s disarmingly real. At first it’s sweet, as we gaze out of a window, half listening to a conversation. But slowly, without realizing it, we slip fully into Ruby’s headspace, consumed by her thoughts of Leila no matter what else is happening. Their relationship feels like a volume dial – starting at a comfortable setting, before gradually turning up to reach maximum output. 

Despite the semi-hefty subject matter, Ladies somehow manages to be a light-hearted film that made me audibly laugh on multiple occasions. I loved that Chloe’s fiancé is a running joke – a landlord who needs Viagra to get it up. It’s such a well calculated joke: Ruby and Leila can’t remember his name but know he’s a landlord, making the moment they comfort Chloe about it even funnier – I lost it when one of the girls chimed in with the perfectly timed, “that’s his passion” remark. What makes it even better is knowing that this hilarious thread is Bunce’s sly clapback to the Bechdel test theory.

On a more serious note, Ruby’s feelings for Leila are laid out on a silver platter. If you didn’t get it from the jump – Ruby honking her horn as she watches Leila kiss her boyfriend at the door – then it absolutely should have been clear by her snarky “happy for you guys” comment, followed by the jump-cut to the title card. The tough question, though – for both Ruby and us as viewers – is where Leila stands. She is an affectionate friend, with her gestures toward Ruby soft and tender and when she talks to the group about her boyfriend and Ruby’s iffy dynamic she casually states that “he’s just threatened by you”, before adding “probably because he knows I love her more than him”. 

Jenna Lampe stars as Ruby in Ladies

In the way that Bunce’s film unfolds, we’re set up to want to believe in that beautiful and intimate dream sequence between Leila and Ruby. With the director intentionally giving her audience autonomy. “In making this film, my aim was to pose a question that subtly unfolds within the narrative, giving audiences the space to form their own interpretations and approach the story with curiosity, ultimately drawing their own conclusions.” She also shared an insightful note about dreams, saying she’s more interested in those that “blur the lines between reality and imagination”.

After that pivotal moment, every small interaction between Ruby and Leila feels sharper, more loaded – like Leila undressing in front of Ruby, or Ruby zooming in on them in a group photo, or even the way they share a bed and exchange couple-like banter. We’re rooting for them, but personally I found myself unsure of exactly what’s “right” – a painful, yet beautifully authentic feeling.

Ladies is a special film that is undoubtedly worthy of multiple re-watches. I’m so excited to see what other characters and worlds Bunce has brewing, she has absolutely won me over as a fan with this short.