Archive | Feminist Matters

‘Into the Forest,’ Into a Utopia?

into the forestAbout a pair of sisters struggling after the breakdown of the national grid, “Into the Forest” may get lost in the glut of post-apocalyptic films we’ve seen since 2001. If that’s the case, it’ll be a shame, for this adaptation of Jean Hegland’s gently sci-fi novel is a more intimate film than many of those zombie-busters and doomsday thrillers. It also is more finely hewn, which makes sense as it’s the latest offering from Patricia Rozema, who has directed such thoughtful fare as “Mansfield Park” (1999) and the oft-overlooked “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing” (1987). (If you’ve not seen that sweetly oddball coming-out film, do yourself a favor and track it down.)

Eva (Evan Rachel Wood) and Nell (Ellen Page) live with their widower father (Callum Keith Rennie) in a North California mountain home that’s a study in lovely isolation. Nell is studying for university admission examinations; Eva is dead-set on acing a national dance audition; and both rely on the nearest town, many miles away, as well as their slightly futuristic technology for community and training. In this way, the family is even more dependent on screens and gadgets than most Americans. But when a seemingly permanent blackout grips the country, they seem better prepared than most because they’re well-acquainted with power outages up there in the woods. After a visit to town reveals abandoned stores, empty stations, and townspeople dangerously adrift, they retreat to their quarters, which are well stocked with canned organics, live chickens, and back-up generators galore. Then their father is killed in a fluke accident, and the bubble bursts for good; after burying their remaining parent, the girls must figure out how to ration their supplies, defend themselves from invaders, and maintain their sanity. Continue Reading →

First Lady, Second Fiddle

michelleAs I write this, former U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton is the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. president. Melania Trump, wife of Republican nominee for U.S. President Donald Trump, has monopolized national headlines for delivering a Republican National Convention speech that plagiarizes entire passages of a 2008 Democratic National Convention speech delivered by current U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama. And one of the most popular video clips making social media rounds features Mrs. Obama’s car karaoke with rapper Missy Elliott and talk-show host James Corden.

This is the state of the union, as filtered through the lens of the very complex institution of the U.S. first lady. It is a telling picture because, more than any other moment in history, few agree on what should be expected of a first lady. This is also telling because, more than any other moment in history, few agree on what should be expected of women in general. For that matter, few agree on what women should expect from the world. Continue Reading →

Who You Gonna Call?

The world is absolutely on fire right now. We feel dumb talking about our petty problems, and, frankly, we should. Yet in our private, off-line worlds we will seek entertainment as relief because we are human and this is how humans behave. To that end, I recommend seeing the new “Ghostbusters” this weekend. My reason is actually political, as I do not think this CGI-addled, badly paced film is worthy of its very fine cast, though the irresistible Kate McKinnon is like a hilarious silent movie unto herself, and Leslie Jones wisecracks with the best of them. (I blame its failings on writer/director Paul Feig, the kind of affable white dude who keeps “failing up” despite his string of unfunny comedies.) My reason is this is one of the first all-female comedies ever bankrolled by a major studio, and big grosses on an opening weekend will mean that other all-female projects will be bankrolled in the future. More than almost ever, paying to see this Hollywood movie will be an act of activism—one you can commit while eating fatty, sugary foods and sitting on your ass in a climate-controlled environment. So go. I ain’t afraid of no ghost but I am terrified of cockocracies.

"All, everything I understand, I understand only because I love."
― Leo Tolstoy