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Women's Cinema

Bechdel & Beyond

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Where the test fails

These are the problems I’ve identified so far. If you notice any more or have some ways around them, please let me know.

  • Historical fiction: Any kind of war film, or historical cinema based around a mostly male experience is going to score badly. I’m undecided how fair this is. If there were an equal number of films made about women’s experiences of history, then it would seem unfair to criticise these kinds of films for depicting a true historical inequality. But we rarely see films about women’s lives during wars or focused on women’s experiences of history’s great injustices. So I guess it depends whether these films are made to accurately explore history, or to explore yet more aspects of the (often white) male psyche. Was Fury made to examine the truth or to see a bunch of men blow each other up? Answers on a postcard.
  • The final question, asking you to consider whether you’d like your daughter or female relative to base her understanding of the depiction and value of women on the this film, may be interpreted as asking whether you’d want the women in the film to be her role models. This doesn’t allow for a film that depicts psychologically believable, totally nuanced, yet utterly unlikable women. I can’t yet figure out a way to phrase this that avoids the implication that women should be depicted positively. Any ideas?

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