Where Are the Women? Child 44

Noomi Rapace’s wife character does go on a bit of a personal journey… although it’s mostly concerned with her relationship with her husband.

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: +10

+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]

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: -5

-5

Is there a woman who is kidnapped (either onscreen or off) whose kidnap motivates a male protagonist? [why this matters]

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0

[no issues]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -10

-5

Is there a female character who is primarily defined by her emotional and/or sexual relationship with a man or men? [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]

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: -5

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

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

BOTTOM LINE: Noomi Rapace’s wife character does have a life outside her marriage, and does go on a bit of a personal journey… although it’s mostly concerned with her relationship with her husband. At least it covers ground not already well explored onscreen.

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

NOTE: This is not a “review” of Child 44! 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 Child 44.

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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