A month ago,I fell for the craze of Hulu’s new series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which is based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel of the same title. Although I watched and loved the series, I also read the novel and looked for the 1986 film version of it on Netflix, starring Nastassia Richardson and Faye Dunaway. Unfortunately, the movie did no justice to the novel. The main character, June, was badly casted, key moments were omitted, and the ending took away angst that Atwood surely wants the people to feel. For these reasons, I would not recommend this movie, especially if you are a true fan of Atwood’s work.
The first issue I found was the main character, June. In the novel, Atwood presents us a woman who is disenfranchised by a corrupt, patriarchal, fundamentalist and abusive new regime that destroyed the United States of America. June goes from being a woman of independent means, to a surrogate that would forcibly birth children for the powerful commanders’ wives of the “Republic of Gilead,” as the country is now named. Therefore, June is an angry, frustrated, tired, scared and grieving woman. In total contrast, the movie presents us totally different person. The June from the movie is not even named June. They gave her another name. Also, the actress smiles too much and doesn’t seem to be tuned in with the character. She looks like she is reading June’s lines, rather than being June. Also, she doesn’t show enough angst and anger in the movie, compared to the novel. I was frankly shocked considering that Richardson is normally a good actress. Not this time.
Another problem with the movie is that some key events of the original novel are omitted. I will specifically refer to the time when June is approached by her commander’s wife to get impregnated by a man other than the commander, which is against the law. This event is pivotal for a big part of the novel because it shows a side of the commander’s wife that nobody sees coming at that point. Plus, it brings out the feminism behind Atwood’s work; the wish of the author that women come together in adversity. I would have wanted to see that moment in the movie.
One last matter is the ending. In the movie, June is basically tasked with killing the commander. She does it, gets away with escaping, and that’s it. It all ends! I would have preferred to add more to the ending and add a transitional scene. In the novel, Atwood builds up momentum until the end, and her use of words helps us get through the final moments in a way that is more satisfying than in the film. It is something about the speed with which the ending comes in the movie that takes away from the anger, disappointment, and shock of what is going on in the “Republic of Gilead.”
Therefore, I cannot recommend this movie to any serious fan of Margaret Atwood’s work. The main character is badly casted, taking away from the essence of who June is. Key scenes that are omitted also take away from the energy of the story, and from the central idea of the novel. Finally, the ending is too abrupt and anticlimactic compared to the novel’s ending. The movie is, therefore, quite disappointing.