Educational Media Reviews Online

In the Bag is a unique and often entertaining film about an unlikely topic: women and their bags (purses, handbags, knapsacks, totes, etc.) Director and co-producer Lauren Malkasian presents interview footage gleaned from one-on-one and group interviews with a varied group of women including the homeless, a nurse, a publicist, a great-grandmother and a dominatrix/medical transcriber (!) among others. A few celebrities, namely Phyllis Diller, Sandra Bernhard, Jayne Meadows and Carol Kane, also participated. The women speak on topics such as why they carry a particular style of bag and what they remember about their mother's purse. The most entertaining and humorous segments are when each woman reveals what's "in the bag" by removing contents piece by piece and explaining why they carry it with them (my favorite is the elderly woman who carries a crochet hook and sarcastically remarks that she might need to perform an emergency drop stitch). However, the film does have some serious moments when the experts, including a psychoanalyst and some sociologists, attempt to shed some light on what it all means.

Upbeat music plays throughout the film, and the video quality is excellent. Malkasian filmed most of the women in the same studio, but a few were either outside or in their homes. The audio is generally good, but there is some noticeable echo in the non-studio locations.

Due to a few mature moments in the film, it is recommended for college-age or older viewers. Students in psychology or sociology programs might be prime candidates to view this film while some members of the general public might find it entertaining. Recommended for academic or public libraries. Recommended