Miu Miu presents "Autobiography of a Handbag" by Joanna Hogg

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, directed by acclaimed British filmmaker Joanna Hogg, is the 29th episode of Miu Miu Women’s Tales. The renowned short film series invites contemporary independent female directors to explore themes of vanity and femininity in the 21st century. Intellectual John David Rhodes, a friend of Joanna, together with Elena Gorfinkel, published a book titled *The Prop*, which asks: "What are props in films? What do they do?"

Joanna Hogg’s words on the 29th episode of Miu Miu Women's Tales

"I was interested in placing an object at the center of the story," Joanna explains, "while people remained in the background." This became the starting point for *Autobiography of a Handbag*. "When I was asked to create the 29th episode of Women’s Tales, I didn’t hesitate for a moment," Joanna reveals. "If I had to choose a brand I love, it would be Miu Miu, for what Mrs. Prada has accomplished throughout her life. I've always had the privilege of wearing her clothes." Risk has always played a crucial role in Joanna’s approach, and since she considers "Miu Miu a brand that dares," the director decided to take on the project as an adventure. "It’s rare to have the complete creative freedom that Women’s Tales offers a filmmaker. At first, I was intimidated. But then I told myself I would take on the challenge."

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."