Set in an industrial British town during the economic hard times of 1982, this lighthearted British drama plays like a distaff version of The Full Monty. Only where Monty's unemployed blokes decided to stage a strip show as a moneymaking venture, the women of this series sell sex in a different way: they sign up as saleswomen representing Ann Summers, a company that applied the Tupperware home sales model to the selling of lingerie and marital aids to women at home parties. The business is real but the characters and stories presented here are fictitious, with working-class moms Steph (Sophie Rundle) and Nita (Angela Griffin) looking for extra income, overworked single girl Dawn (Sharon Rooney) tired of looking after her father and layabout brothers, and middle class Pauline (Penelope Wilton) actually financially fine but bored stiff and wanting something to do. They have nothing in common until they join the Ann Summers family and find success and friendship while supporting one another in business. While the subject matter might sound raunchy, the show itself is a mix of social drama and empowerment story, about women taking charge of their own lives while bringing the sexual revolution to a town of chauvinistic men who have long-outdated attitudes about equality and sexuality. Although Brief Encounters was canceled after the first season, it works fine as a self-contained series (only one story is left hanging). Compiling all six episodes from 2016, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Brief Encounters
Acorn, 2 discs, 288 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
Brief Encounters
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