Where Are the Women? Blackhat

WATWblackhat

More than one smart, capable, competent woman helps drive the action… and none is defined solely (or at all!) as a mother or a lover. Hooray.

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: +2

-10

Could the protagonist have been female without significantly impacting the film as a whole? (for a film with a male protagonist) [why this matters]

+10

Is there a female character with significant screen time who grows, changes, and/or learns something over the course of the story? (for an ensemble cast, or a film with a male protagonist) [why this matters]

Is she nonwhite? [why this matters]

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +14

Is there a female character (either a protagonist or a supporting character with significant screen time) in a position of authority (politics, law, medicine, etc.)? [why this matters]

Is she nonwhite? [why this matters]

More than one (of any race)? [why this matters]

Is there a woman whose role could easily have been played by a man? [why this matters]

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0

[no issues]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: 0

[no issues]

WILDCARD SCORE: 0

Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)

No.

TOTAL SCORE: +16

IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)

IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)

BOTTOM LINE: More than one smart, capable, competent woman helps drive the action… and none is defined solely (or at all!) as a mother, a wife, a girlfriend, or a caregiver. Hooray.

Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.

NOTE: This is not a “review” of Blackhat! It is simply an examination of how well or how poorly it represents women. (A movie that represents women well can still be a terrible film; a movie that represents women poorly can still be a great film.) Read my review of Blackhat.

See the full rating criteria. (Criteria that do not apply to this film have been deleted in this rating for maximum readability.)

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