What if, from one day to the next, the world changed perspective? It is from this provocative question that “Ladies First” is born, the new Netflix comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, directed by Thea Sharrock. The film takes inspiration from the French film “I’m Not an Easy Man” and builds a brilliant satire on gender dynamics, imagining an upside-down society in which women hold the economic, political and social power.
Ladies First: the plot
Damien Sachs is the classic man convinced he has the world at his feet. He arrogantly runs a large London advertising agency, lives off occasional flirtations and treats his colleagues with disdain, certain that success gives him the right to everything. However, his existence suddenly changes after an apparently banal accident: a blow to the head catapults him into a parallel reality where the balance of power between men and women is completely reversed. In the new world, in fact, it is women who occupy leadership positions, impose aesthetic standards and dictate the rules of society. Damien suddenly finds himself on the other side of the fence: judged for his physical appearance, treated with paternalism and forced to deal with the same obstacles that, in his original universe, affected women. But it doesn’t end there: in this place he finds Alex Fox, a former employee who in this alternative reality has become the powerful leader of the agency. Determined, brilliant and unyielding, Alex forces Damien to confront his own beliefs and a system that is now playing against him.
The feature film is loosely inspired by the 2018 French film “I Am Not an Easy Man” (also visible on Netflix) by Éléonore Pourriat, but further expands the concept of the “world in reverse”, transforming it into a broader satire on contemporary power structures.
Ladies First: the cast
The protagonist of the film is Sacha Baron Cohen (remember “Borat”?) in the role of Damien Sachs, an over-the-top character in the story. Co-starring Rosamund Pike in the role of Alex Fox, a powerful and inflexible woman who dominates the new social order. Also appearing in the film: Richard E. Grant, Fiona Shaw, Emily Mortimer and Charles Dance
It is by Thea Sharrock, already appreciated for “Me Before You” and “Wicked Little Letters”. The screenplay was written by Katie Silberman, Natalie Krinsky and Cinco Paul.
Ladies First: when it comes out on Netflix
Netflix releases “Ladies First” worldwide from May 22, 2026: the film is one of the platform’s main comedy releases in the month of May.
Ladies First: the Italian trailer
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