Miu Miu presents "Autobiography of a Handbag" by Joanna Hogg It is the 29th episode of Women's Tales

The picturesque clouds of the Tuscan sky stretch over the Maremma landscape. Resting on a rock is a handbag: the white Wander by Miu Miu. Looking closer, we notice it's dirty, worn, marked by time. What could have happened to it? And how did it end up here, all alone? In Autobiography of a Handbag, we watch and listen to its life story, from birth to old age. A journey through socially coded spaces—ultramodern factories, grand Italian villas, decayed urban outskirts—and a variety of owners, from a privileged teenage girl to a working-class murderer. In this tale, the Wander bag becomes a silent protagonist around which contemporary Italy experiences joy, sorrow, despair, and desire. It is an object that transforms into the heroine, not only of this film but also of many of our lives.

Autobiography of a Handbag: The meaning behind the short film

What sets Autobiography of a Handbag apart from all other episodes of Women’s Tales is its unique narrative perspective. From the beginning, Joanna wondered, "What is the handbag’s point of view? How does it see things? And what if it saw the world like an insect?" This led her to use a wide-angle lens to capture the handbag’s testimony. The use of four iPhone 16s gives the director creative agility, reflected in the film’s storyline as it traverses a cross-section of society—rich and poor, righteous and criminal—played by a cast of non-actors. The breathtaking landscapes of the Maremma also play a leading role, shifting from the background to the foreground. And although the bag is silent, it effectively has a voice that allows us to empathize with it. Blending cinematic naturalism with magical surrealism, Autobiography of a Handbag portrays happiness, suffering, and love. As it passes from hand to hand, the Miu Miu bag learns what it means to be alive. As Joanna puts it: "Handbags don’t die—they are, in a way, immortal."