This comedy series from Sasha Leigh Henry shows what adulthood is like for a smart young Black woman reluctantly entering the workforce.
Bria Mack Gets A Life is a self-assured comedy series from Sasha Leigh Henry (director of TIFF ’20 short film Sinking Ship) that shows what adulthood is like for a smart young Black woman as she is reluctantly entering the workforce.
This spiritual and Canadian descendent of Issa Rae’s work — in particular Rae’s web series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl — sees Bria, played by Malaika Hennie-Hamadi, navigating the very mundane and awkward world of employment after graduating from university.
When Bria returns to her mom’s house in Brampton, expectation does not meet reality. She thinks she’ll sit back, relax, and hang out with her friends, but her mother’s retirement plans and Bria’s lack of funds change all of that.
She’s accompanied by an invisible hype girl, Black Attack (Hannan Younis), who pops up intermittently to steer Bria in the right, or very wrong, direction.
Genuinely funny jokes fly furiously — touching on everything from Black Twitter and allyship to reparations — and Bria Mack is a character we need on Canadian television.
Episodes of the series are directed by Henry, the showrunner and creator, and Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, whose debut feature, When Morning Comes, screened at TIFF ’22.
KELLY BOUTSALIS
Official Selection, 2023 Toronto International Film Festival