South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival – Based on an article featured in Housekeeping Monthly in 1955 by the same title, The Good Wife’s Guide reminds us exactly how far we have come when it comes to women’s rights. While there are (many) days in our modern society that make me shake my head at sexism and misogyny, sometimes a simple reminder of how things used to be is enough to make me thank my lucky stars.

Creator and multi-hyphenate Chloe Merriman made the entire two minute short on her cell phone, using a collage making app to create imagery to go with the archaic and mind-boggling narration pulled directly from the article. These images were then thrown into a computer program to weave them into a fun, funky animated short.

A timely concept and a gentle reminder of how far we have come, and how far we haven’t, The Good Wife’s Guide uses irony to create an iconic feminist manifesto that should be shared in women’s lib and women’s history classes for years going forward. This should be required education for all people, let alone anyone studying feminist theory.

Two minutes of absolutely giddy, glittery goodness – The Good Wife’s Guide is a tongue in cheek tribute to “the good old days,” combining modern imagery like Wonder Woman with the archaic concepts of subservient wife’s and domineering husbands. Creative, simple, and perfectly cheeky, just like so many of the women I know. Sass abounds, and so does sarcasm. My kind of movie.

The Good Wife’s Guide reviewed as part of our South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival coverage.

6 out of 10