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"It was the day Elvis died..." Sabrina, Age 38

"My poor husband, my PMS drive him crazy. I'm surprised we're not divorced.
Actually, that isn't funny!" Leonore, Age 36

"If men got their periods, tampons would be free." Dr. Kermit Kranz, Age 80
Amy, 13 and Robyn, 11
For every girl who "became a woman" in the middle of her school cafeteria, for every woman who goes through two pints of chocolate ice cream in a single day, and for every man who has had to fetch an emergency tampon—this one is for you! In A PERIOD PIECE, a diverse group of women (and some brave men) reflect on this rarely-discussed event that is nonetheless natural, cyclical, and intrinsic to all of our lives.

Through the stories of individuals from various generations, races and geograpic areas, the attitudes and experiences surrounding this taboo topic come to life in a playful yet revealing way. Ultimately, they also shed light on the larger historical and cultural issues of women's sexuality, body image and power.

A PERIOD PIECE is structured as a series of topical segments, ranging from the anecdotal "Where were you when...?" to the practical "Pads or tampons or...?" to the reflective "Would you stop menstruating if you could?" These segments are composed of interviews with individuals speaking directly into the camera, their stories edited into a fast-paced collage of intersecting and diverging responses.

Margarita and Carmen, Identical Twins

Participants were selected based on their range of experiences, offering the viewers an opportunity to recognize their own changing perspectives on this monthly occurrence--from the pre-pubescent girl waiting for her period to start, to the woman with excrutiating cramps and migraines, to the woman in menopause reflective about its absence. They are all within two degrees of separation from the director, Bari Pearlman - either her friend or family member, or theirs. This was not a limiting factor, but an expanding one; it helped illuminate just how much knowledge – both expert and experiential – is easily available to all of us if we seek it, on this or any subject. And it helps us to realize just how much power is in that knowledge, and the value for all of us in seeking similar knowledge in our own lives.

In the tradition of "The Vagina Monologues", A PERIOD PIECE will be a candid, poignant and challenging program, offering viewers an opportunity to hear fresh perspectives on a topic they may not have wanted to think much about, but in the end, will be glad they did.
Hazel, 55

Produced and Directed by Bari Pearlman
Associate Produced and Edited by Katy Finch

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