While there is a long tradition of literary utopias, there are hardly any positive utopiasin film. Cinematic dystopias, by contrast, abound. The typical dystopia usuallyfeatures a protagonist who is in opposition to the ruling regime, a built-in dramaticconflict that makes dystopias particularly well-suited for films. Although the hugesuccess of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale seems to confirm the affinity between filmand dystopias, the show also highlights that a series spanning multiple seasons hasvery different dramaturgical demands than a feature film. Those demands are at oddswith the narrative structure of a typical dystopia. While the standard rebellion plotprovides the needed tension, it cannot be prolonged endlessly. Sooner or later therebellion either succeeds or fails, at which point literary dystopias normally end. Aseries like The Handmaid’s Tale needs to be able to continue that plot, which is theprimary reason why the protagonist Offred never leaves Gilead despite having severalopportunities to do so.