Women’s war stories
FUNNY STORY? Tina Fey (right) plays a journalist covering the war in Afghanistan.© 2016 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.
A new film and a hit podcast both feature women telling war stories—a role that’s usually reserved for male protagonists and male narrators.
The film Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, starring Tina Fey, is based on journalist Kim Barker’s memoir about Afghanistan. It is part comedy, part coming-of-age story, and part war story. In the podcast Serial (the second season), journalist Sarah Koenig tells the story of Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for five years and has now been charged in U.S. military court with desertion.
The public has reacted very differently to the two media offerings. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot has faced disappointing reviews and box office sales, while Serial has proved to be a hit.
