Yesterday was the first day of my Christmas holidays after a stressful year of work and endless lockdowns.
I decided to celebrate my free time by watching the ten-part miniseries, MAID, on Netflix.
MAID is the story of a young woman and her journey through poverty, shitkicker jobs, domestic violence, family toxicity, motherhood and chasing one’s dreams. It stars Margaret Qualley and her mother — veteran actress, Andie MacDowell.
I’ve never watched a drama series that captured the reality of ‘struggling’ so well. Financial hardship and DV have been explored a lot in art and literature but most of the time it’s glamourised and created by people that don’t have the lived experience.
To say that watching MAID was cathartic would be an understatement. Episode 8 caused me to have a full-blown panic attack which I followed with a shit-load of journal writing.
By the time the series ended, I had released so much of my own trauma via tears and convulsions — I slept for nearly 19 hours.
I share a lot of similarities and experiences with Alex (the protagonist) in MAID and often the series felt like an excerpt from my own life.
I woke up today feeling lighter and understanding certain aspects of my own journey better. I am thankful MAID got made.
I am grateful to author Stephanie Land for having the courage to write her book, which the series is based on and I am thankful for Margaret Qualley’s raw and tender performance.
