Television series
The Red Tent
Other titles called The Red Tent: the 1969 film.
A Lifetime miniseries retelling the Old Testament story of Dinah through the eyes of the women around her. It's sweeping and earnest, heavy on emotional family drama and the interior lives of Jacob's four wives. Made for viewers who love biblical epics and character-driven period drama, even when the execution is uneven.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want a slow, women-centred look at ancient family life, where rituals, rivalries and sisterhood carry more weight than battles or miracles.
Skip it if you need a fast plot or want the Old Testament's action and miracles; this is unhurried, interior and often static, its drama coming from everyday talk and ritual.
What it asks of you: Two evenings of patience: the early stretch lingers on childhood and women's ritual before the story gathers momentum, so settle in and let scenes breathe.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Bible2013
Epic miniseries event that covers Old Testament stories with genuine ambition and impressive scale. Features complex family dynamics and moral questions alongside the spectacle.
But Inconsistent in tone and quality across episodes, and some storytelling choices feel overwrought or didactic rather than earned.
Madam Secretary2014
Morena Baccarin in a lead role where she carries a drama with intelligence and presence. Sophisticated character work and engaging political plotting week to week.
But Procedural elements can feel formulaic, and the show's optimism about institutions may not land if you're skeptical about those worlds.
The Pillars of the Earth2010
Sprawling historical miniseries with major cast names, intricate plotting, and genuine stakes. Medieval setting but the same appetite for dynasty, faith, and human consequence.
But Darker and grittier than The Red Tent, with sexual violence as plot device rather than emotional backdrop. Very long and demands patience.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Red Tent
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
A Tale of Love and Darkness2015
Both center a narrator looking back at the women who shaped them, using that female perspective to reframe family mythology and inheritance.
Natalie Portman directs and stars in this intimate adaptation of Amos Oz's memoir about his family in 1950s Jerusalem. Slow, poetic, concerned with how mothers and sons know each other. The same attentiveness to women's interior lives that The Red Tent aims for, but executed with quiet precision.
But Deliberately paced and melancholic. The politics of Israel-Palestine may make the setting feel loaded in ways the film doesn't directly address. Not a plot-driven story.
More like this (5)
The Dovekeepers2015
Another biblical/historical miniseries centering women's perspectives during siege and survival. Strong ensemble cast and real emotional weight beneath the period detail.
But Takes itself very seriously and can feel slow. Ends on tragedy rather than resolution, which some viewers find punishing.
The 10th Kingdom2000
Fantasy miniseries that balances grand mythology with intimate character relationships. Fairy tale logic but grounded emotional stakes, especially around family bonds.
But Much lighter in tone than The Red Tent. Special effects are early-2000s and some plot threads feel meandering.
The Thousand Plane Raid1969
Rebecca Ferguson in a leading role in a period drama with historical scope. Shows her range in a different register from her action work.
But Lesser-known title for good reason. The script doesn't always justify its ambitions and the pacing drags.
The Passion of Joan of Arc1928
A woman from scripture or biblical-adjacent history, told as her own story rather than as backdrop to men's choices. Focuses on her consciousness and defiance, not her victimhood.
Utterly committed performance from Renée Jeanne Falconetti as a woman facing her faith and death. Silent film but her face says everything. Historical, spiritual, devastating—it redefined what a woman's suffering on screen could mean.
But Black and white silent film from 1928. If you need dialogue and modern cinematography, this will feel impossible. Intentionally brutal and offers no comfort.
Godless2017
Uses a historical setting and period constraints to ask what women build together when the patriarchal structure isn't running the show. More optimistic than The Red Tent but asking related questions about female autonomy and inheritance.
A Western miniseries built around a town run by women, with nuanced ensemble storytelling and genuine danger. Western genre but the texture is all about community, mothers and daughters, legacy. Beautifully shot and more daring than it first appears.
But Takes the Western formula and remixes it, so if you want traditional gunslinger satisfaction, it doesn't deliver that. Six episodes but can feel slow.
