Where Are the Women? Good Kill

Where Are the Women Good Kill

The most significant female character exists only as the wife of the male protagonist, and she spends most of the film in more revealing attire than him.

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: -3

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

-5

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

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: -15

-5

Is a woman or women used as decorative objects/set dressing? [why this matters]

-10

Are one or more either a protagonist or significant supporting character? [why this matters]

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: -5

-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]

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: -21

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

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

BOTTOM LINE: A lone female drone pilot cannot make up for the fact that the most significant female character exists only as the wife of the male protagonist, and that she spends most of the film in more revealing attire than him.

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

NOTE: This is not a “review” of Good Kill! 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 Good Kill.

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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