Where Are the Women? War Book

BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: +12

FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +16

THE MALE GAZE SCORE: -5

GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: 0

[no issues]

WILDCARD SCORE: -1

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

There’s only one sour note when it comes to women’s representation in this film, but it’s glaring and galling, especially because the rest of the film does so well. The “woman used as a decorative object” issue already noted takes on an extra — and extra offensive — dimension. A man contemplates the body of a much younger woman in a way that is meant to suggest all the beauty and ease that will be lost in the event of a global nuclear war and the collapse of civilization. Though she is plainly depicted as being increasingly uncomfortable with this scrutiny, the overall tone of the scene is intended to be melancholy, verging on the sorrowful, and in a way that anyone watching is presumed to identify with. A human being who happens to be female is reduced to a metaphor, a symbol, in a way that none of the men here are. And the same impact could have been achieved without treating a woman like this.

TOTAL SCORE: +22

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

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

BOTTOM LINE: With only one caveat, this is a great example of positive depiction of women: as people with authority, with strong opinions, with powerful personalities, and not defined exclusively by their gender.