Coinciding with the book's launch in the United States, we take a look at this book from University of Nottingham graduate Hanna Flint...
Why do we love movies? Well, because it’s fun to watch The Rock single-handedly take down a chopper, and there’s nothing like travelling to a reality filled with sausage-fingered humans, this much is true. But it’s also because they help us to understand more about ourselves and our lives, because they speak to us in ways that even those closest to us sometimes can’t. They inform and entertain, they're with us in good times and bad. And very few books demonstrate that more effectively than Strong Female Character, the cinematic study-slash-personal memoir from University of Nottingham graduate Hanna Flint.
Using films as a touchstone for investigating elements of her own life, from living with bulimia to navigating racial biases in the industry she loves, Flint brings the reader into her world with a warm, welcoming tone. Even when diving into harrowing stories and serious issues, the Fade to Black co-host adopts a lighter touch, dropping in dark humour and sarcastic jabs to make it feel as though you’re simply chatting to a friend. It’s accessible but authoritative, avoids jargon but is impressively detailed.
Flint’s extensive knowledge of the big screen always complements her story with a genuine purpose, each movie quote or cinematic critique elevating her anecdotes and messages
With a book that walks two lines - acting as both film essay collection and life story - it would be easy to fall into the trap of forcing one into the other, merely dropping in film references to establish a sense of expertise or crowbarring in personal experiences to fit set themes. Yet Flint’s extensive knowledge of the big screen always complements her story with a genuine purpose, each movie quote or cinematic critique elevating her anecdotes and messages.
So, if you’re looking for a book that dives into a ton of challenging, entertaining and thought-provoking films, this is it. If you’re after a personal, no-holds-barred tale of millennial life, this is it. And if you’re wanting both, well, you know the drill by now…
Strong Female Character is now available at bookstores and online, and you can read our interview with Hanna Flint here
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