Montreal: Filmmaker Vali Fugulin (www.six.lemondeestpetit.ca) says that when she attended her first Tupperware party, she thought she’d stepped into a time warp.

‘There were all these women talking about food containers – how well they worked and what to use them for,’ she recalls. ‘It really did feel like a scene out of the ’50s.’

But along with that sensation, explains Fugulin, came a revelation: a surprising number of women were learning how to work as Tupperware sales representatives, opting to shill the plastic containers rather than work typical nine-to-five jobs.

And that, she says, hatched the idea of her latest documentary, the hour-long A Bowl of Success, which she’s currently filming. Produced by Monique Simard (Le Fric $how) of Montreal’s Virage Productions, Fugulin’s film will explore the ongoing Tupperware phenomenon, while also exploring the lives of the women who’ve chosen to hawk it.

‘I was quite surprised by the women who are doing it,’ says Fugulin. ‘Of course, you have a stereotype in your mind, but what I found was quite different. These are professional women: nurses, teachers, and an engineer I found. The common thread was that they really didn’t want to work long hours, especially after having children and launching a family. It was just too much for them to go back to the grind.’

As well, Fugulin says she was impressed by how much people could make by selling Tupperware. ‘There are some who try it, and for them it doesn’t work,’ she says. ‘But those who do it well do quite well. Some were earning as much as $100,000 a year. Sure, they worked hard, but they also managed to make a good living at it.’

Fugulin argues that many of those attending the Tupperware soirées seemed to be looking for some kind of connection in a group environment.

‘There’s a communal experience happening,’ she explains. ‘I had to ask myself, ‘Am I in a church or a Tupperware party?’ The parties are often very inspired. For one, the host dressed up as a ’50s housewife. People really got into the spirit of it, like a gospel celebration.’

A Bowl of Success will air on Canal Vie, TFO and CBC in the fall.