Women In Film

I realize I am a bit late to the party on discussing this topic but I am finally getting around to blogging and now I can share. The women in film section I originally thought was completely stupid and very much so uncalled for to have. I guess my original thought was "Maybe if women made some better films than they wouldn't need to have a special week dedicated to them and could fight for our attention like the rest of the directors." After the week though I kind of wish that we had spent more time watching films made by women. I really enjoyed the films that Leaf and Gillian Lacey's Workshop were absolutely fantastic. In addition to how much I enjoyed the films I will have to say that my favorite film from the entire semester would have to be "The Stain." Now before you jump on me and say how sick and twisted I am for loving a film about incest and suicide listen to my explanation. This along with the other films that were show put me in a huge place of vulnerability which I hadn't experienced until the women in film week. I felt the most vulnerable when we watched The Stain and I felt not exactly sad but just in a place that flipped my world view upside down. I mean yes i'm not naive and I know that stuff like that happens but it was weird how a few simple drawings could do more for me in changing my opinion than a thousand lectures on the dangers of rape and other topics. Another one of the films that took me down a few notches was the one where Leaf depicted herself as a chicken. The pain that she already had been through was unimaginable to me and I don't know how she had the courage to make that film. I also gained huge respect from her on how delicately she portrayed her horrific experience and how reserved she was when it came to not identifying the man. I guess the thing that I learned which I though was complete crap the first time I heard Leeper say it was that their is a definite need to add to the conversation of film. I'm not sexist I just thought that their wouldn't be that much of a difference between a film made by a woman or a man but I now completely admit to be wrong and that both genders bring a very special view on every subject. As a finishing note I really did like the animation of the woman who had the husband in her stomach because I had never thought of the other side of the story, that and it was so well done that even how serious is was it makes me laugh still thinking of a bullet bill style man protruding from the stomach of that girl.