Battling on Bravely
Source: Vijay Times (Life Supplement)
I was told to write and critically review films made on women, by women and the position women filmmakers are in, in today's world, well, seems a little general, but then it sometimes is okay to get an outsiders point of view. Therefore, my approach to a film festival will be that of a film observer. It will be seemingly shortsighted to judge a genre called 'a woman's movie' as each festival is different from its predecessors. I want to therefore focus on the issues that are crucial to the feminist film festivals.
As women loose their fear of expressing their feminist views on personal, social and political issues, it has resulted in causing a stir in the minds of sleeping audience, politicians and so called revolutionists. Films like 'Fire' by Deepa Mehta and 'Unbound' have stirred a hornet's nest. Although self- expression and exploration, and a desire to live with dignity have been the primary focus, they have not been given acceptance mostly because we still live in the dog ages where the set- up is male dominated. 'Unbound' (1994), a film where a woman is shown touching her own breasts had apparently caused a stir because it showed a woman in control of her own body. This obviously would have gone unnoticed if the hands on the breasts were that of a male.
Similarly, 'Fire', a film where two women explore each other through an emotionally sustaining relationship, was eventually banned due to the show of lesbian relationship due to the so-called absence of religious sensitivity. Similarly, women in Afghanistan have been secretly making films on their battle against destitution, rape, violation of human rights, and circulating them amongst human rights activists.
Ironically indicating that they could talk on any issue and exercise freedom of expression as long as it involved an element of censorship.
Categorizing films made by women have created a separate platform in terms of voicing their views. Over the years, films by women, have now been perceived as a separate genre altogether. I shrink at the thought that they are not looked through the same perspective as any other genre of film is looked into. The recent film festival 'Made by Women' that pays tribute to women directors bears witness to it. The audience was scarce and the mood was not upbeat although the films were works of art. The category that was initially created to launch and encourage the finest has now summed up to an entire class of films that has been alienated and labeled as women's films.
Contrary to the belief, that women filmmakers draw their inspiration from subject matters consisting of their own feminine issues and lamentations, they have covered various aspects of cinema in terms of art, popular, animation, classical and feature documentary.
The recent film festival on 'Films by Woman', focused on bringing to the audience different versions of reality. Themes ranged from, life in a barber shop (Barbeiros - dir: Mervi Junkkonen), to exploring father- son relationships in 'How I killed my father' (dir: Anne Fontaine).
In, 'Mona Lisa Descending A Staircase', Joan took us on an amazing trip through the development of modern art from Vincent Van Gogh to Warhol, using the innovative technique of clay painting alongwith animation, painting and art. 'Underground Orchestra' directed by Heddy Honigman, was a trip through the splendid world of musicians who perform in the sidewalks and subways of Paris. While, 'Barbeiros' (Junkkonen) on the other hand, gave us an insight into the lives of two very old barbers, who work side-by-side everyday. The movie came with a 'feel' element packaged in layers of reality that cannot be explained, one has to see the lifetime lived over and over again in one single day… poignant and poetic.
One of the prominent movies of the festival was 'My Body' (by Margreth Olin). Olin looks inside herself, through her body, and describes its beauty in its imperfections. Like any woman, she looks in the mirror and sees faults in her body. She remembers criticisms of her appearance that go back to childhood and adolescence. With playful humor, Olin reflects on body image, female identity, and self- esteem.
How I killed My Father
Anne Fontaine's 'How I killed my father' reflects on the sensitivity of a situation that per chances upon forty-year-old Jean Luc whose perfect life is thrown in turmoil by the unexpected arrival of his long estranged father, Maurice. The Film's complexities will surely have an effect on how mainstream audience perceive feminist films.
Today women filmmakers refuse to subscribe to a sense of closure, they battle bravely all impossibilities, in order to bring their voice to its audience… it is a pity that they are still stifled under the veil of a woman's film.
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