Where Are the Women? Wild

+25

Is there a female protagonist? [why this matters]

-5

Is there a female character with significant screen time who bares her breasts (but doesn’t appear fully nude)? [why this matters]

-5

Is there a female character who is primarily defined by her emotional or biological relationship with a child or children? [why this matters]

+7

While Reese Witherspoon does appear topless, extremely briefly, in one sex scene, that scene (and others of a sexual nature, including ones in which she is not baring any skin while her male partners do bare some) are very much about her being in control of her sexual agency. Another brief instance of Witherspoon’s toplessness is nonsexual and about showing the impact on her body of her physical labor (bruises, abrasions, etc.). None of these instances are gratuitous or lascivious or about wrenching autonomy away from the character for the viewing pleasure of the audience (as is so typical on film). The nudity here contributes to a depiction demonstrating that a woman’s body is her own to do with as she pleases.

+7

While Laura Dern’s character is defined primarily by her motherhood — of Witherspoon’s character — she exists in the story in order to explore the limitations traditional roles place on women’s lives, and how women can chafe at them. She is also a character who is discovering new ways to break out of those limitations and reclaim her life for herself.