by SARAH ROWLAND

“People think I’m crazy.” That’s filmmaker Vali Fugulin talking about the reaction she’s been getting to A Bowl of Success, a documentary on Tupperware and the women who sell it. And no, she’s not insane. After talking to her for 15 minutes, it’s clear that she knows exactly what movie she’s making.

“It’s about Tupperware, but it’s not about Tupperware,” she says with a laugh. “It’s about women trying to find that impossible balance between work and family.”

Fugulin’s obvious enthusiasm didn’t stop her hardcore feminist producer from questioning her loyalty to the women’s movement.

“She just had this look on her face like, ‘Are you serious? Are you actually pitching this to me? Which side are you on?’”

With so much opposition, one has to wonder why Fugulin was so determined to make this movie, which she’s currently shooting. Well, it all started in 2003 when a friend invited her to a Tupperware party, and it turned out to be an eye-opening experience that led to further research. “I was so shocked to learn that they weren’t these desperate housewives trapped into selling plastic bowls because they had no education. They’re young, brilliant women who do it for family reasons.”

According to Fugulin, most of these working moms are former teachers, engineers and therapists who prefer peddling kitchenware to dealing with the unforgiving nine-to-five grind, where baby talk is usually not allowed.

“They don’t have to hide that they haven’t slept all night or that they’re really worried the little one’s not feeling well. In a lot of work places, women just have to pretend that they don’t have another life, and Tupperware allows them to reconcile that.”

So where does this leave working dads in the re-useable container racket?

“It’s still a novelty,” she admits. “I mean there are a few of them doing it in Montreal, but that’s another movie.”