Directed by Peter Kunhardt

In HBO’s Gloria: In Her Own Words, the unlikeliest Bunny of them all shows excerpts from her diary (certain days are blocked off with the words, ‘bunny work’) and speaks about working at the Playboy Club as a 28-year-old. An article based on the experience, A Bunny’s Tale, nudged Steinem out of the bracket of female journalists relegated to writing about fashion or food. She slowly learned of women who had to deal with problems regarding their lifestyle or professional choices — “I finally knew that I wasn’t alone; I wasn’t crazy, the system was crazy,” she says.

A retrospective of Steinem’s rise within various women’s movements, In Her Own Words is a free-flowing narrative that intersperses archival footage with interviews. A recap of stand-out moments from the struggle for women’s liberation, the documentary is a useful introductory text to the issues Steinem and her contemporaries have focused on (particularly useful for those for whom ‘feminist’ conjures up images of bra-burning, hirsute women); for those clutching well-thumbed copies of Naomi Wolf or Camille Paglia, the documentary’s archival material is interesting as is Steinem’s characteristic sense of humour (“People ask me why I’m not married, I just say I can’t mate in captivity”). Through its choice of editing and style, the documentary looks dated — while it is not memorable for its style, its content stands out for its subject. However, it is unfortunate that the producers do not delve into the contemporary nature of feminism. “Our job is not to make young women grateful, it’s to make them ungrateful,” said Susan B Anthony — produced in an age when women are ostensibly offered far greater opportunities than when Anthony made that statement, the documentary misses a crucial element as it skims over Steinem’s views about how women and men have incorporated and discarded elements of the struggle for liberation and how the movement has evolved.

Cult:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s [1961]

“I somehow totally related to the character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” says Steinem, who drew inspiration for her trademark-streaked hair from Holly Golightly’s (Audrey Hepburn) mane in the film.

Current:

I don’t know how she does it

A wife, mother and successful businesswoman (Sarah Jessica Parker) intends to keep her house running like clockwork, even if it requires the mental and (often physical) gymnastic skills of a Cirque du Soleil performer, when she becomes the sole breadwinner in her family. If it’s not enough that her child has head lice, she now has to contend with an attractive co-worker. Those of us still yearning for a Carrie-comeback can keep watching Sex and the City re-runs.

Coming attraction:

Circumstance [2011]

Iranian-American director Maryam Keshavarz tells the story of two 16-year-old lesbians inTehran, while depicting a society and culture rarely portrayed in the media. With a rich heritage of Iranian female film-makers (including Samira Makhmalbaf, Shirin Neshat or the more well-known Marjane Satrapi), the first-time film-maker has great expectations to live up to.