‘Intimacy’ exposes sexism in politics through the lens of a feminist

Itziar Ituño as Malen Zubiri in a scene from Intimacy. Picture: Netflix

Itziar Ituño as Malen Zubiri in a scene from Intimacy. Picture: Netflix

Published Jun 26, 2022

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In the world of politics, a sex scandal is unsurprising. We’ve seen this manifested in shows like “The Good Wife”, “House of Cards”, and “The Fixer”.

“Intimacy” on Netflix offers a more thought-provoking perspective on the subject as mayoral candidate Malen Zubiri (Itziar Ituño) finds herself in the eye of the storm when a video of her steamy encounter with a stranger goes viral.

As anticipated, especially those behind the leaked video, it uproots Malen’s personal and professional life. Her husband, while acknowledging that their marriage has reached a stalemate, cannot handle the shame and walks out.

Her teenage daughter lashes out at her, too, as she is ostracised at school and her boyfriend breaks up with her.

Malen’s political ambitions are stymied by her indiscretion. Her party refuses to back her - despite her bringing in the support - and demand her resignation.

Meanwhile, high school teacher Begoña Uribe (Patricia López Arnaiz) seeks out Malen’s help for her sister Une (Verónica Echegui), who had photos and footage of her in a compromising position sent to her work colleagues.

Unable to deal with the shame, especially since she’s been in a settled and happy relationship, Une committed suicide.

And so the journey of Malen and Begoña run parallel as both seek justice, albeit for different reasons and in different ways.

This 8-part series is underpinned by a powerful narrative and cast.

What I love about the handling of such a sensitive topic is it exposes the existing sexism in the workplace through the lens of a feminist.

Malen is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t take too kindly to being victim shamed, nor does she back down when caught between a rock and a hard place.

A definite must-see if you enjoy solid storytelling with an empowering message of resilience, bravery and tenacity.

“Intimacy” is streaming on Netflix.