A View of Girlhood: On Female Directors in Film
“After years and years of watching movies like that, the notion that ‘women aren't powerful’ seeps its way into your subconscious, no matter what. So, being a woman and seeing movies that gives women the spotlight, character depth, and passes the Bechdel test (a measure of female representation in film) changes the ways we are perceived and think of ourselves. It tells us that no matter how we are seen in film, it isn't a true perspective of how we actually are, that we are inherently strong and powerful.”
In mid-July, the sun hits your skin. Imagine being a young woman, going to see Barbie with your friends or significant other. All dressed in pink, you enjoy the movie, filled with heartwarming and uplifting moments that make you feel closer to women as a whole. You leave the theater, thinking, “WOW, I don't really see a lot of movies directed by women; that movie felt so different from the ones we usually see every day."
Then, imagine Barbie being snubbed at the Oscars a few months later. Imagine Ryan Gosling winning a Critics Choice award for “I'm Just Ken.” Even Gosling was confused as to how he got this award over “What Was I Made For” – the more hard-hitting song of the movie, sung by Billie Eilish.
This past summer was a big one for films, Barbie and Priscilla came out and had everyone lined up outside AMC and Regal to watch them. Movies like these – ones directed by women and about the female experience – are almost always snubbed or made fun of. A most recent example is the Barbie “joke” told at the Golden Globes. A comedian named Jo Koy said Oppenheimer is “based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies.” This joke poked at Barbie really showed how female directed films are treated as a whole. Women in the industry are constantly overlooked. With the rise in women directed movies, directors like Greta Gerwig and Sofia Coppola are breaking through the glass that held female directors from getting any recognition and paving the way for those who deserve their flowers. In general, men dominate the film industry with men making up 61% of the industry and women only 39%. Movies are what we grew up on, they help pave the way we perceive the world and people around us. Women-made movies are important to our culture. They offer a view on girlhood devoid of the male gaze to misportray it.
When I watched women-made movies for the first time, I felt so close to the women around me, and it reminded me that even though we are different people, we have shared experiences that make us who we are. In Barbie, there's a deep, constant message of the interconnectedness of girls, women, and older women. For Greta Gerwig to stray from directing in a way that devalues women is very influential. It goes against the direction most male directors take their movies. She's letting her actresses shine and tell the stories of us all. The scene of Barbie holding hands with the older lady, having a montage of the different aspects of girlhood showed exactly how heartfelt and sweet the director wanted to make this scene. This specific scene made some of my friends tear up, we all felt so sentimental. That tender moment made us feel connected to women as a whole, regardless of age. We realized that although we feel far from other women, there's a string that pulls us together. The horrible experiences and burdens that only women bear is something that mends us all together like glue.
I remember watching Birds of Prey, directed by Cathy Yan, and being so enamored with the amount of detail and attention to Harley Quinn’s character. First off, she was the main character, which was different from the movies we usually see grow in popularity. Also, for all of the movie it shows Harley has ownership over herself and her life, which is different from the way she's usually portrayed. Some say this movie embodied the “Female gaze,” but watching it, it felt closer to womanhood than what is usually shown in film. When I watched the movie in the theater with my friends, we all felt a shared sense of community and appreciation for women. It was like a breath of fresh air to see women portrayed to be strong and resilient rather than meek and dependent on the male protagonist. Yan does a great job at showing this message throughout the film. It inspired us deeply and we felt genuinely empowered.
It's very rare that a movie would make us feel powerful in our own skin, so that's why I hold this experience close to me. It’s a different feeling than I had while watching Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer. Watching that movie, I remember being disappointed that Harley had no depth; she was there for the male characters to ogle at. After years and years of watching movies like that, the notion that ‘women aren't powerful’ seeps its way into your subconscious, no matter what. So, being a woman and seeing movies that gives women the spotlight, character depth, and passes the Bechdel test (a measure of female representation in film) changes the ways we are perceived and think of ourselves. It tells us that no matter how we are seen in film, it isn't a true perspective of how we actually are, that we are inherently strong and powerful.
These experiences definitely enriched my sense of womanhood and changed the way I viewed myself and female directors. We decided to ask the women of CSH what they thought about female directed movies to see if they felt similarly. One senior said “Those movies are something I always loved, I saw a part of myself in it. Like in Mamma Mia or Barbie, it felt so close to what womanhood is. It didn't feel artificial like other movies like anything else a man would make." The majority of the seniors I interviewed shared these same sentiments.
Another senior says, “It addresses the bond we have with each other without sexualizing it or making it into something it isn't. It's something that has been missing from my life that I never realized.” I asked her what impact it had on her, she said “it impacted me significantly, I feel like those movies talk about the nuances in our lives. I feel more seen. Growing up without that sucked because I was struggling to find myself. I was trying to find myself through movies that portray women in an unrealistic way, which i didn't realize at the time. It made me feel like I wasn't being a girl “correctly” because of the weird, crude ways we were being portrayed in film. But these movies directed by women, telling our true experiences helped me find myself.” Women-made films help young women feel comfortable in their own skin.
According to our findings, it's apparent that women made movies are a monumental part of most girls' experience with growing into themselves, mostly because of the experiences that they can relate to through these movies. By depicting girlhood in a true way, it can help young women develop their sense of self and feel validated.
It's worth mentioning that female directors create a safe space for the female actresses starring in their films. For an example, Kirsten Dunst in the Virgin Suicides, directed by Sofia Coppola, had to do multiple kissing scenes with the different boys in the film. She really wasn't comfortable with it and expressed that to Coppola who told her it was okay, and that she didn't have to make out with any of them and that she could fake it. Coppola was more than willing to work with her and make sure she felt safe and comfortable, especially since Dunst was 16 at the time. This completely juxtaposes Dunst’s experience in Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan. 12 year old Kirsten Dunst had a kissing scene with 31 year old Brad Pitt, which she described as “uncomfortable” and “awkward” This speaks a lot to the difference in how male and female directors treat their actresses. The List of Male directors who have created uncomfortable settings for their actors along with viewers watching goes on.
Randal Kleiser directed “The Blue Lagoon'' a movie that is known for its huge controversy given the fact that it showcased a romance between 14 year old Brooke Shields and 18 year old Christopher Atkin where both actors had nude scenes. Brooke Shields wasn't a stranger to being sexualized from an early age with the release of “Pretty Baby” directed by Louis Malle coming out 3 years before the release of “The Blue Lagoon '' where Shields played a 12 year old child prostitute. The 1989 movie “Lolita” directed by Adrian Lyne is a very popular movie mostly because of the backlash it gets due to the plot of a teenage girl who is “romantically” involved and sexually abused by her 36-37 year old step father.
The differences between female and male directors are significant, as female directors are clearly more protective and caring of their actresses because they understand the value of their safety, they wouldn't force them into doing anything that would make them feel icky. The same cannot be said for male directors; countless examples include Dan Schneider and Amanda Bynes, Sam Mendes and Mena Suvari, and more. It's often that male directors disregard their actresses mental and physical well being. The fact there are more male directors than female directors in the film industry poses an issue since male directors are the ones mistreating their actresses. According to Kirsten Dunst, she's more comfortable working with women and believe that it's now up to the actors to uplift female directors since it's rare for anyone to take a chance on them.
In general female directors and filmmakers deserve more recognition and popularity because of the significant role it plays in most young women's lives including the actresses and the audience. It creates a safe space for all women, a space where we can be seen as leaders, protected, and empowered.