Feminism

Cinema studies is a module that covers the evolution of film and historical development of cinema. It is also consists the learning of classical and contemporary style of film-making across the countries. The objective of cinema studies is to learn the history and evolution of film development, categories and style. Meanwhile, disclose the movie inventors of various film technics.

This assignment is divided partially into groups and each of the groups are given a topic, and from that topic, our task is to seek and analyze movies relevant to it in a documentation form.

We had been asked to analyze five movies which are based on feminism. Moreover, the movies chosen by each of our group members have to be directed by a female director. Basically this documentation briefs on how the female director directs her movie, and what she would portray which relates to feminism. A research has been done to define the specific meaning for the term “Feminism”, and it basically means that women should have the equality of rights when compared to men. The selected five movies are as below:

Real Women Have Curves

 Bend It Like Beckham

Niuma

The Runaways

What A Girl Wants

Real Women Have Curves

Real Women Have Curves by Patricia Cardoso

Real Women Have Curves is an award winning movie which is directed by a Colombian-American film director, Patricia Cardoso. This comedy film is the latest film of Patricia Cardoso and it has been a great reputation of her with this effecting feminist film. The impact has been created to the audiences through the movies especially to the women. The setting of this movie mainly took place in Los Angeles and a short scene in New York at the end of the movie. This movie won few awards and nominations at the moment. For examples, the main role, America Ferrera got nominated for Best Debut Performance in Independent Spirit Award, won Dramatic Audience Award in Sundance Film Festival and more.  

Real Women Have Curves - Trailer

Real Women Have Curves starts off with the Mexican-American high school graduates, Ana, who wishes to further her studies in college. Ana is an intelligent teenage girl and she has a high aspiration about her future. Unfortunately, Ana’s decision is discouraged by her traditional and straight parents, especially Ana’s mother, Carmen. Carmen is determined that Ana should starts earning for the family’s living by working in her sister, Estela’s dress-sewing factory. Ana struggles to get free at the beginning of her working days and she’s tormented between her ambitious dream and her family. Over the summer after her graduates from high school, Ana starts to admire the teamwork and hard work of the ladies in the sewing factory. She started to realize that women could make their own decision and she could take the responsibility for her own. Ana makes a decisive and brave decision that she wants to continue her studies in Columbia University in New York which is far away from her home. She realizes that she is proud to be herself, for who she is. She wants to find her place and achieve her dream no matter how. 

Real Women Have Curves is a feminist movie that focuses mainly on the women’s self-confidence. Throughout the movie, the audiences will get the message of self-respect and self-empowerment of a woman. This theme is regarding the women power, women have their rights on their own. Women are beautiful on their own way and no one could decide who’s pretty and who’s not. Self-confidence is an essential and a must-have on every single female on earth. The female director, Patricia Cardoso is trying to send the message to the audiences through this particular movie in a way to encourage the women.

At the beginning of this movie, Ana (America Ferrera) is doing the housework while she’s supposed to be on her way to school. Her mother, Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros) pretends to be sick in a way to keep Ana stays at home with her instead of going to school. But Ana refuses to listen and insists to go to the school. This shows that the mother is controlling and tries to stop Ana from going to school. Besides, the mother also takes the opportunity in the family celebration of Ana’s graduation, questioning why Ana quits from her job and she wants Ana to works in Estela, Ana’s elder sister’s sewing factory. 

Carmen is expecting Ana could be like her when she was young, work and strives; build for her family in her entire life. This can be shown from the scene when Carmen is talking to his husband about Ana’s future. Carmen speaks in Spanish says “I can teach her to sew, teach her to raise her kids and take care of her husband. Those are things they won’t teach in her school.” This is showing that Carmen wants Ana to go through a life as a traditional woman like how she was, start working and get married someday and the family would be Ana’s purpose of life. Carmen also says “It’s a matter of principle. It’s not fair. I worked since I was 13 years old and Ana is 18 years old. Now it’s her turn. She has to work." 


To convince the women that they are beautiful, Patricia Cardoso conveys the messages through the shots and scripts. There’s another scene where Ana had sex with Jimmy and that was her first time. She stands in front of the mirror and looking at her body. Ana says “turn the lights on; I want you to see me. So this is what I look like.” Jimmy says “what a beauty.” In the room, there’s only a lamp turned on. It is close up shot of Ana standing on front of the mirror without clothes on and the reflected to Jimmy at the back. This shows that Ana is accepting herself for who she is and she hopes for the same thing from Jimmy. It is convincing the audiences that even if you’re fat or flaws on you, as long as you believe you’re pretty, you are. Woman has the right to be confident and live for their own and not by the society’s point of view.

In addition, Ana is trying to break away from the domineering culture and her mother. She has a fully acceptance on her body and she tries to show it to her mother. There’s a scene where Ana stripes down her clothes in the factory, right in front of her mother. It is saying that Ana feels the heat in the factory and she tries to cool herself, but Patricia tries to show the daring part of a woman to accept their own body. Accept for you are, it is not necessary to change yourself for others. Ana even asks the workers in the factory to follow her to escape the heat. Full shot is taken for this scene as the ladies remove their clothes off except Carmen. The ladies are showing their cellulites and stretch marks to each other. They do not feel ashamed about it but they are admiring it for what is on them. The shot is gaining the attention from the audiences by using this more to feminism scene. It is middle close up when the ladies are taking off their clothes one by one. It is focusing on each of them. The clothes are taken off and the body figures look obvious and clear enough. Woman doesn’t people to teach them how and what they should look like and woman doesn’t look attractive for just to get a man. People accept you for who you are but not because of you are what they want you to be. Women gain respects from the intelligence and ability but not from the appearance. 

In a nut shell, women can’t be told that they are ugly if they are not in size six. There’s no specific standard saying that women are pretty to look like this certain way. The director, Patricia Cardoso doesn’t use any special skill or techniques while shooting this movie. She uses the normal editing and let the story develops naturally. Women are the main theme in this movie and it is presenting the girl’s power. Women’s abilities are limitless and it should be equally treated like genderless. Women should be respected for their mentally but not physically. As we always say, don’t judge the book by its cover. Appearance doesn’t mean everything of a person while there’s more to be seen for a body. Patricia Cardoso is showing the prettiness and confidence of the women and the messages are successfully conveyed to the audiences. Women have the rights and they can make decision by themselves. For a dream or the purpose of life, women can definitely achieve like the men can do.

Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham, by Gurinder Chadha

Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002 sports comedy movie. This movie is chosen in this research because it shows the girl’s power as an Indian Girl, Jess against her family typical perception where she should focus in studies and marriage as well as in their culture, she is not allow to show her bare foot to people. The same goes to Jules, a tomboyish girl who is in a soccer team. She objects her mother’s disagreement toward her interest yet continues joining the men-like game, soccer. This movie is about how the both girls struggle in between interest and family’s culture and perception, it is a movie directed by famous feminist director, Miss Gurinder Chadha. 

In the beginning, the director applies sound bridge where the crowds cheer to bring viewers into the movie. It works as a welcoming speech that informs the audience on movie begins. Besides, Wipe techniques were applies at the beginning where a football just moves horizontally across the scene and changes the scene from title to stadium. There is a Mise en scene in this part where it shows a middle-aged woman sitting in crowd, she was the only female there. Everyone was happily cheering however she has a negative face expression and body language to which impress the audience that she is disagreeing with the event just like what Mrs Bhamra do. Before screening on the TV Interview with Jess’s mother, there is an obvious zooming out techniques applied on image of Jess and Beckham to signify the surrealism of the scene and relates back to the TV Interview. On the other hand, close up shots on Jess’s mother as a reaction shots which she was saying “Jessminder, you get back home now” with Indian slang focusing on her reaction that she is piss with daughter getting involve with men’s game.The dialogues of Mrs Bhamra “Your sister is getting engaged and you’re sitting here watching this skinhead boy!” this showed the background and culture of her due to the Indian accent and it directly bringing comedy to the audience. 

Jess addiction on soccer also appears while helping in the kitchen which made it one of the funny shots. The director used spinner transitional editing effects to show the action of her constantly kicking potato, tomato and cabbage to show her passionate toward soccer.

Trackling and pan shot is applied in the particular scene to demonstrate the practice of all players. Besides, trackling shot is also used at the match to follow the ball and crowd in stadium scene. In order to help audience relate to the action of players, pan shot is used to follow those players in soccer match. There is a scene where Jess used her head to hit the ball. It is an obvious shoot from low angle to create the powerful, long and tall effect. In this scene itself, the director also shoots in combination with the nature of sunlight. High angle does involve in showing and establishing the shot of overall pitch. It is used as an angle to show the view of soccer players during their game. Sounds of football being kicked are hyperbolic and exaggerate with the purpose of telling that football is the main theme in this film. 

The editing speed of fast and slow motion was most use to screen on the soccer game scene. For instance, at the final round of soccer match. Fast motion is the editing with fast cutting technique in order to create excitement when audience is watching the match. It was apply during the gaming process in order to create anxious feel from the audience. However, slow motion was applying when there is a need to motion is lower and slow down the speed. This technique is to draw the attention of audience and focus on the action on screen.

The music used in this part is also part of the mood to attract the audience. It enables the audience to feel the joy and stress at the same time by remixing the music in smooth manner. However, as a combination of both east and west, the director made a cross over on song where English made song made into an Indian pitch. Moreover, Soundtrack is a key concept in cinema studies. Hence, massive apply of musical language are situate together with scene as her narrative device. Background soundtrack of this film includes traditional Punjabi melody and American Hip Hop music. For instance, she put the soundtrack features of Bhangra during Pinky’s wedding and used expressionistic background music at the important match to draw audience to the scene and feel the nervousness and adventurous protagonists on screen.

In this film, the director revealed to audience the different type of Hollywood and Bollywood costume through portrayal of actor and actress. As for example, there is a scene showing Jess changes her sari to soccer shorts in just a minute time had transit her from traditional home-bound woman to kick-butt girl jock seems miraculous. Different race portray their special costumes in different clothes. The Indian women traditionally wear Ghagra choli, Saris and Salwar khameez in very colorful and flamboyant way  whereas the western style portray in skirts, pants and dresses in more exposing and sexy way, this had create a sensual effect to the audience.  There is difference in between the portrayal of Western and Indian women in this film where Jess wears on Jersey during the practice whereas Jules wears on with sports bra. 

Upon the completion of analyzing, it had given audience a realistic view on prejudice, difficulties and pressures of women in sport. However it success in presenting a positive side of women by portraying Jess and Jules as the role model of  young womanhood where they indicates the dynamics of control and regulation about what woman ought not to do, and more about what they can do. The director succeed in revealing the women’s power because although Jess as a young feisty Indian-Anglo London girl who born from a traditional and typical Punjabi Family, facing the oppression of matriarchal and patriarchal issue due to the traditionalistic of Mrs Bhamra, she disagree with her showing bare legs to the public and joining the unladylike sports like soccer yet she still do not give up. Jess’ family is typical Indian, dislike daughter to be exposed. They are categorized as the hidebound traditionalist nevertheless they hold a perception of sports is improper pastime Jess where she needs to focus on her university and marriage. She had been struggling in between her family and interest in soccer meanwhile facing critics from her family culture where they keep in mind that soccer is a men’s game. Though she against the norm where “soccer is not a women’s occupation” by proofing herself can be better than others and finally Jess get sponsor from oversea-California to continue her soccer interest. Moreover, this film also proved there’s an equivalent status in between male and female where female can actually get involve or even join men’s game. Lesson can be studied and gained from this film is that Women’s power is strong, Jess and Jules fight for their dream and do not give up easily although facing many obstacle yet in the end they succeed in showing “The wonderfulness of Women’s soccer” as the title of this film were hinting that bending the rules in order achieve one’s goal. 

           

"NIUMA" Maldivian Film Directed By a Female Director

Movie:   Niuma (Maldivian Film)

Movie analysis by Shaneeza mariyam J09006281

The Movie is about: There's a secret in every closet.
Plot outline: This intense, part psychological drama centers around Niuma (Niuma) who finds her home rather than tranquil, a living hell as she fights to stay sane against the most unlikeliest of evil she could ever imagine. This film also marks the first directorial effort by national award winning acting sensation, Niuma Mohamed.
Directed by:  Niuma Mohamed Feminism cinema theory: Women and man should have equal rights and Equity between their social role and other wants.   In This Movie the victim Niuma and her mother are not given any opportunity to express their feelings. They have to follow whatever Niuma’s father does. He abused her Child since she was only 5 years. And her mother knows about it. And She is scared of her husband even though he was doing very wrong. Every time she asks him to stop abusing their daughter he slaps on her face and he is violently repeating it by time to time. Even Niuma is not allowed to have friends and she is not allowed to talk a boy either. And if she is not allowed to continue her studies. when she try to escape from  there is a wide long shot.  Lighting is more like natural, to show that is daytime. Wide shot is to make suspense, and audience may have a quick dilemma, that what is going to happen next.   After 50 second she felt down and found her father in front. And here it shows a close up and this camera angle is to show the anger. Whatever the father, and her brother does, mother dint do anything; she gets angry when Niuma asks her to make it stop.  But later Niuma stands against her mother and keep scolding her. This camera angle and shot is created to show the conversation between two parties, and Niuma’s facial expression. Even the audience can feel sad and disappointed emotions, of her mother.  Female Director plus Actress (Niuma) She made these kind of scenes to create awareness to raise voice against the child abuse and domestic violence among those cultures where child mishandling, rape, violence cases are hidden.  Female director has tried to shape awareness to feminism among young males. In anothe scene, victim’s eldest brother’s best friend who had crush on Niuma. And he proposed her. Later he found that she is being abusing from her very young age by her own brother and her father. But still this guy keep on trying to make Niuma as his girl friend and he tried to convince her how to get ride of her father’s violent evil arms. This part of the movie has showed the youth that victims should be given a chance to live happily and they should have been given courage to report about the abuse case. This camera angle shows the empathy he feels to niuma, but niuma gave this expression to show that she cannot trust any man. As related to feminism theory, Niuma’s boy friend had trouble in reporting this case because he found that Numa’s father is very respectable rich person in that village and he is being v religious and very socialized helpful person in the community. Female Director has showed the hierarchy feminism. Just because this guy is rich and community respectable person, so people around him do not have the guts to report it or either to ask him to stop it.   In another scene Niuma’s Brother (Yoosuf Shafeeu) feels pity about his one and only own sister. And the pain that she always try to hide is busted to his wife Sheela Najib. Niuma’s brother and sister in law ( She is crying, asking him to make his father’s  to stop his evil behavior) Normaly in this movie director has this kind of camera angles to show the feelings and emotions of the actress. And two person in the frame to make it more influential and connected to the audience. The lighting is spot lighted to Sheela’s face to show how much she cared about the situation and how scared she is. Here it comes one of the most social issue among mostly Asian which we found from ages ago, and no one blames.  I n this movie Sheela found that Niuma is living in very helpless darken situation; she forced her husband to stop it. But all the right is given to his father and he is afraid of his father, and he wanted to keep their families reputation by hiding this evil truth. In this part Director has given a message to public, that the reputation of family are not less important than women’s right. And later Yoosuf Shafeeu’s wife, she stands against it very strongly and she left the house and moved to her own place. That makes her husband to do something about his father and his brother. Sheela has hold on it so tight, to make him believe that Niuma deserves a better life.  And his father and his brother must get punished. sheAs a result he managed to try that, but he failed two times, and every time his wife gives him courage to win it. With the help of him Niuma and her mother stand against those two who raped Niuma. Even though no one had the guts to report.  But Niuma cannot hold her anger, and she killed her father before reporting police. Shot1 ( brother is trying to rape her) shot2 (she is raped ) Shot 1, is a wide shot to show that he is trying to rape her, even though she is trying to escape.  Camera angle shows that he don’t care about it and he is too into it. Shot 2, it shows how she felt after she is being raped by her own brother. This shot shows the audience that she is hurt and helpless. Basically the weakness of women. Again the light is natural to make it believe it is v realistic. After he is beaten and killed Niuma herself went to police station and reported it. This Angle and camera movements make the audience to judge what she is doing is correct or wrong. Director shows a wide shot from her back and then this medium close-up from in front. She never showed the police station. So her cinema technique is to create suspense. And the lightings make the make up more realistic.  ( she is going to the police station) This wide shot and the lightings are make it feel that it’s midnight and she killed her father at this silence hour. And the wid shot is to show the police station and to make the audience more clear about what she is doing. In these areas Director has convinces that, Women’s weakness’ is something they hold on. And Niuma has been holding her weakness for so long. After a great influence of her brother and sister-in –law, she changed her belief and moved on.  Female director has played a great role to make awareness of sexual harassments. And in Maldives 1 person per 3 is a victim of Domestic violence or sexual abuses. So the female Director has played a very important role in letting the locked doors open. And also it has opened a gateway to reveille what ever happens behind those locked doors. Director has pictured realism in cinemas. Movie is based on feminism and she has tried to prove that women should have the freedom of decision-making and women should not be dependable to those kinds of husbands or fathers. “ Millions of innocent lives are better than one man”. Director has mainly focused on extra close-up shots to show the victims fear for, her father, mother, and another brother who raped her. And it gives impact to society to feel sympathy towards victims.  And the lightings setup kept the object dark to make it scary. And it gives impact of a realism situation to the audience.

The Runaways Trailer

The Runaways was a film produced in the year 2010. A brief description after watching this movie, the story begins of two girls (Joan Jett and Cherie Currie) who were friends as their interests was into rock and roll music. Joan meets a famous producer and then he becomes their manager whom insisted to lead and make them famous in building their records. They then conformed along with other members and toured around performing their own original songs

TRAILER

VIDEO 1

Joan meets the famous producer for Rock N’ Roll. She tells him that she wants to start an all-girl rock band, and he insisted to see how they perform. 

VIDEO 2

Video 2 shows the girl rock band taking drugs before their performance. Their producer supplied them with pills due to the improvements of how it affects their performance in a good way. The lighting used was dull and dark; only one light shines upon them on stage.

VIDEO 3

It’s shown that while they perform, mainly because they haven’t had too much rehearsal, and just began in performing in front crowds, the crowd treated them inappropriately. They’re a girl band, and the crowd threw rubbish such as can drinks at them.

VIDEO 4

This part shows the producer (Kim) when he tries to encourage Cherie to perform better. Instead of giving advice, he teases her and use vulgar words on her.

VIDEO 5

This scene shows Cherie when she first performs on stage. The crowd “BOOS” her away off stage. The lighting used was dark and the music played was slow, that symbolizes the disappointment. Moreover, that creates the mood of the scene shown.

VIDEO 6

This shows the part Joan learning to play the electronic guitar where an old man insisted to teach her to make her chords right. The camera angle used was medium-shot angle, and was a 2 way communication scene. In the scene, the tempo of the music been played by Joan increased, this is mainly to show how talented Joan can be later on in the movie. It represents that she have skills more than the person she initially was.

What a Girls Wants

This movie is direct by a female,Dennie Gordon. She is awonn American Film and television director. The story is of a young woman, Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes), 17 years old, pining for her father who was separated by trickery and deceit from her mother, Libby (Kelly Preston) before Daphne's birth. Her mother and her father, Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth) were married in a makeshift Bedouin ceremony while in Morocco and had tried to make it complete when Henry brought his mini-skirted, beaded and baubled radical-looking American bride home. Seeing Libby as a liability to Lord Dashwood's political aspirations for Prime Minister, his senior political advisor, Alastair Payne (Jonathan Pryce) convinced Libby of her liability to her husband's political future and rushed her off and out of Henry's life back to America. Libby, of course, saw this as Henry rejecting her. And since she found herself to be with child (Daphne) Libby opted to keep knowledge of Daphne from Henry in fear that .

Below are video are from part of this movie. I had analyze from this few parts lets start from Part 3, while from the costume “what’s a Girl Wants” it is modern-dress version of the frithy 1958 romantic comedy. From a youth girl turn out to become a real woman after she found her dad. Costume she use to wear T-shirt and a jeans(part3) then she slowly turn to be more ferminant she wear dress (Part 3 and part 8) and formal suit to at tent dinner party with her dad (Hendry).

                                                                         Part3

Part8

Part5

In this movie there are feminism theory apply in this movie. this film would play well in some foreign countries, but British viewers are likely to roll their eyes at the all too often portrayal of their "stiff upper lip" and the predictable British jokes that litter the film. And the depiction of Daphnie character as the all American girl is quite a stereotype too. The idea that all British citizens are that uptight and that all Americans are completely insane in the head might be true in some circumstances, but this film makes quite a blanket generalization about it. For example, She don’t attach  to a guy which is blone hair born in England.she falling in love with a guy which same hair colour with her.

Somehow, there are few scene show that feminism theory had apply in this movie. For example there are a scene Daphne step sister(Clarissa) don’t like Daphne so she try to make her do embarrass stuff infront public. There is a dialog show that girls jealousy.Girl like to compared and use to jealous one between each other 

Daphne: “Hey step sis, you’ve seen Cinderella, I’m Cinderella, you are the evil step sister, I’m gonna win”
Clarissa: “huh…… “

Part8

Camera angle there is one part using low angle (part 8) The dog run to find Daphne and look at her, it seems like the dog wanted to ask Daphne to play with it. Low angle give a sense of confusion to a viewwer,of powerlessness within the action of a scene. Example from this (part8) we can see that Daphne is just standing straight at a place and the little doggie ran to find her. Camera angle, one of the aprt using tilts shot which a movement scans a scene.From figure(part8) when Daphne mother slowly walk down from the staircase.

                                                                    Part9
                                     

Camera angle there is one part using low angle (part8) The dog run to find Daphne and look at her, it seems like the dog wanted to ask Daphne to play with it. Low angle give a sense of confusion to a viewwer,of powerlessness within the action of a scene. Example from this (part8) we can see that Daphne is just standing straight at a place and the little doggie ran to find her. Camera angle, one of the aprt using tilts shot which a movement scans a scene.From (figure part9) when Daphne mother slowly walk down from the staircase.

Part4

There are one more part in this movie content feminism theory, there is a part she accidentally go to the wrong way of the door,once she open is the event stage, Dahpne whole family sitting out there be judger. Once she walk out she just walk like a model and there are few guy get attached by her. Here are a simple explanation,girl like men to stare at them and men get easily attached to pretty girl. (Figure part4) The 3 guys said”what a beautiful creature”.

Feminists have a long tradition of situating ideals of beauty and the involvement of women in beauty practices in a political context (Davis, 1991; Wolf, 1991; Bordo, 1993; Davis, 1995). They argue that beauty is integral to the construction of femininity in a gendered social order. The female sex is idealized as the incarnation of beauty, while the bodies of most ordinary women tend to be treated as inferior and in constant need of improvement.”