Female Gaze and Female Representation in the Film Industry (2/2)

In this second part we'll discuss different TV show and movies that show or attempt to think with a female/feminist gaze. Series:  1. Girls (2012-2017) - Lena Dunham  American comedy-drama television that follows the lives of four young women living in NYC, a very self-aware commentary on privileged white womanhood praised for its sexually frank, wryly satirical look at millennial angst, chastised for its lack of diversity, and dissected in an endless stream of essays and social media posts thanks to its explorations of gender politics and post-collegiate social panic. But over everything is recognised for: Portraying Realistic Sex, Recasting a Woman’s Body, Inciting a Conversation About Diversity and sharing Sharing a Distinct Voice. 2. The Affair  ( 2014-2019) - Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi American television drama series that explores the emotional and psychological effects of an affair that destroyed two marriages through the eyes of each protagonist; male and female. Special characteristic? The storyline is repeated/continued through different characters’ eye, allowing the spectator to see the action unfold through different eyes, and how different their point of view can be.  3. Fleabag (2016 ) - Phoebe Waller-Bridge  A female driven show, on and off-screen. It deconstructs many feminine standards through the use of a cinematic artefact: breaking the 4th wall. Phoebe’s character completely deconstructs her character’s actions, feelings, relation to others, sexuality through a direct dialog with the spectator. 4. Little Fires Everywhere (2020) - Lynn Shelton A novel about race, class and privilege. A fictional investigation into motherhood, the secrets in families and failed attempts to leave one’s past behind. Movies: 1. The Portrait of a Lady of Fire (2019)- Céline Sciamma A film that avoids the male perspective at all costs in favor of feminine ways of looking. Even without showing men onscreen, Sciamma depicts the wicked ways in which the patriarchy constricts the lives of her female protagonists. Where many other directors while portraying a  lesbian romance might emphasise the taboos of same-sex love, Sciamma is less interested in shame or shock as she is in the force of creating the genuine bonds between both protagonists.  2. Wonder Woman (2017) - Patty Jenkins  If you don't know this movie, go watch it and then come back !