An interesting look into the lives of women in the entertainment industry. This Changes Everything, a feminist documentary directed by Tom Donahue, dives deep into the sexist culture within the realms of Hollywood, exposing inequality and power imbalances that dictate the experience women face in the industry. The film hosts appearances from many household names like Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman who share their personal recounts and solidify the validity of the argument. The film manages to bring some issues to light, but it fails to cover some of the bigger issues within Hollywood sexism. Due to the narrow scope of the film and lack of an intersectional lens, I would rate the film 7.5 stars out of 10
In a world where feminism is gaining popularity, This Changes Everything speaks to feminists, not only in entertainment but around the world. Shortly after the film starts rolling, your screen is hit with alarming statistics pertaining to the unequal opportunities in show biz; short but powerful bits of data pose questions I have never asked myself. I appreciate that this film strived to make logical appeals using real data, it creates a solid base for the topic that gradually embellishes the rest with recounts from people inside of the industry that hold credibility. The topics covered in the film seemed to mesh well and transition without straying too far from the initial argument of gender inequality in Hollywood.
Additions to the plot of the film include a brief history on women in film during the 1930's and how they dominated the industry until financial interests squirmed their way into entertainment. I won't give away too much but I find it a really interesting story that adds a wow factor that ties nicely into the arguments being made. Another story addition includes a lawsuit against the industry by the Women's Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America; an interesting look at how women have made waves and pushed against the oppressive system.
As the film finds traction and gets into a uniformed groove, I notice a pattern that doesn't sit right with me; I notice a lot of the main talking points revolve around singular issues and these issues are being explained by mostly rich white women. The film glosses over women of color and their intersectional issues, it almost felt like they did that on purpose.
Intersectionality is best described as an overlapping of discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. As described in the film, women are treated unfairly in the entertainment industry, but what happens when you are also female, gay, muslim, unnatracctive and live in poverty? How much harder would it be to climb the ranks of Hollywood by being on the receiving end of multiple forms of discrimination? I can tell you one thing, this film definitely won't tell us. I found it was kind of contradictory to complain about oppression and inequality when the film failed to include a diverse set of women, further marginalizing the ones considered "different". Yes this film does a great job portraying one dimensional oppression but fails to acknowledge the intersectional issues that many without voices face, this includes the LGBTQ community, disabled, poor etc. I think the film would have benefited greatly had it included a transgendered actor or director such as Laverne Cox or Elliot page. The value of hearing their stories and understanding how difficult making it in the industry is when dealing with more than one form of discrimination would have truly put the film into a more powerful appeal. Maybe next time huh?
Overall the film managed what it had set out to do, and that's nothing to take lightly. It was a great film that used logic, credibility and emotional appeal to send a strong argument. Indeed, Hollywood sexism exists and its films like these that spread that message, let's hope the men in power take these teachings into consideration the next time they're on set.
In a world where feminism is gaining popularity, This Changes Everything speaks to feminists, not only in entertainment but around the world. Shortly after the film starts rolling, your screen is hit with alarming statistics pertaining to the unequal opportunities in show biz; short but powerful bits of data pose questions I have never asked myself. I appreciate that this film strived to make logical appeals using real data, it creates a solid base for the topic that gradually embellishes the rest with recounts from people inside of the industry that hold credibility. The topics covered in the film seemed to mesh well and transition without straying too far from the initial argument of gender inequality in Hollywood.
Additions to the plot of the film include a brief history on women in film during the 1930's and how they dominated the industry until financial interests squirmed their way into entertainment. I won't give away too much but I find it a really interesting story that adds a wow factor that ties nicely into the arguments being made. Another story addition includes a lawsuit against the industry by the Women's Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America; an interesting look at how women have made waves and pushed against the oppressive system.
As the film finds traction and gets into a uniformed groove, I notice a pattern that doesn't sit right with me; I notice a lot of the main talking points revolve around singular issues and these issues are being explained by mostly rich white women. The film glosses over women of color and their intersectional issues, it almost felt like they did that on purpose.
Intersectionality is best described as an overlapping of discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. As described in the film, women are treated unfairly in the entertainment industry, but what happens when you are also female, gay, muslim, unnatracctive and live in poverty? How much harder would it be to climb the ranks of Hollywood by being on the receiving end of multiple forms of discrimination? I can tell you one thing, this film definitely won't tell us. I found it was kind of contradictory to complain about oppression and inequality when the film failed to include a diverse set of women, further marginalizing the ones considered "different". Yes this film does a great job portraying one dimensional oppression but fails to acknowledge the intersectional issues that many without voices face, this includes the LGBTQ community, disabled, poor etc. I think the film would have benefited greatly had it included a transgendered actor or director such as Laverne Cox or Elliot page. The value of hearing their stories and understanding how difficult making it in the industry is when dealing with more than one form of discrimination would have truly put the film into a more powerful appeal. Maybe next time huh?
Overall the film managed what it had set out to do, and that's nothing to take lightly. It was a great film that used logic, credibility and emotional appeal to send a strong argument. Indeed, Hollywood sexism exists and its films like these that spread that message, let's hope the men in power take these teachings into consideration the next time they're on set.