Born in Flames

Lizzie Borden’s feminist, post-punk provocation imagines a dystopian America that has revolution bubbling under its surface.

An alternative reality New York City, 10 years after a peaceful revolution has installed a socialist State. On the surface the single-party government that has been installed preaches equality and fairness for all, but in reality, racism, sexism and economic inequality is as rampant as ever. Born out of struggle, a band of radicals led by Black, lesbian and working-class women join forces to disrupt the status quo and bring the establishment crashing down. 

Lizzie Borden’s radical, unapologetically queer feminist manifesto is an exhilarating piece of agitprop that combines the guerrilla-style filmmaking of Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers with Jean-Luc Godard’s incendiary post-60s output. Shot on the fly on the streets of New York, the film features many non-actors used to great effect, including activist and lawyer Flo Kennedy and a young Kathryn Bigelow. Born in Flames is a blistering call to action whose sci-fi vision of an alternative America appears chillingly familiar.