Parents' Guide to 100 Nights of Hero

This follow-up to director Julia Jackman's debut Bonus Track is an ambitious undertaking that's in sharp contrast to the high-school comedy that came before. 100 Nights of Hero is a whimsical fantasy with a queer/feminist spin that interweaves a story within the story and even an A-List pop star—Charli XCX. Though there's a seriousness to the themes—think The Handmaid's Tale—there's a lightheartedness and plenty of playful humor. The initial scenes show a girl, Kiddo (Safia Oakley-Green) create the human world, leaving it to grow as it pleases. But her father Birdman (Richard E. Grant) thinks it's boring and instills himself as a god to be worshipped, casting down laws that women must produce male heirs and be banned from reading and writing. From there, we're introduced to a society where men are very much in charge, but there's a strong feeling of power bubbling under the surface, as women find clever ways to communicate their stories behind the scenes. Corrin's Hero is the perceptive character at the center, looking pixie-like but hiding forbidden secrets beneath the surface. Monroe's Cherry is the ethereal innocent, gradually brought into her own power by the relationship between the two. What threatens to steal the show is the magnificent costume design from BAFTA-nominated Susie Coulthard, who gives a Poor Things-style flourish to a Medieval-inspired theme. The sets and locations also add plenty of clout to the impressive world-building here. But what's really at the center is the reminder of the power of women coming together, with rich tapestries of stories to pass between them. And how that can transcend even the most trying of circumstances.