At first glance, it’s a bit strange that Netflix would claim that Lady is not a fairytale film. As you can see in the trailer below, there are plenty of fairytale elements, including huge swords, magic and a very large dragon. But how many fairy tales can you think of that start with the prince sacrificing his princess to the dragon? Clearly Lady will cause a very different kind of suffering.
Premiering on the top streaming service, the film stars Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, a princess who is clearly not living her best life. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo wants to turn the familiar elements of fantasy films upside down. Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, he says the film is essentially “a beautiful story about a young woman becoming a strong, independent and empowered adult.”
What is Damsel about?
Lady is about what happens to Elodie when she discovers that her so-called fairytale wedding was a trap: the royal family only wants her to join the family so they can feed her to a huge dragon and pay off a centuries-old debt. Elodie does not take the news well and does not enter the dragon’s cave quietly.
This new Netflix movie may be fantasy, but it has real-life parallels. According to Fresnadillo, “we tried to make this as real as possible. It’s a fantasy, but rooted in reality.”
In addition to Brown, the cast includes Angela Bassett, Robin Wright and Nick Robinson. Bassett plays Elodie’s stepmother and Wright her new mother-in-law, and the film promises “a very powerful showdown between the two.” Other famous faces include Ray Winstone, Brooke Carter and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
The idea of subverting fairy tale tradition with a feisty princess is almost as cliché as the tropes it rails against, but given the cast and looking at the trailer, this seems like it could be a lot of fun. Lady will be available to stream on Netflix in 2024.