Where Are the Women? Suffragette
FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +1
THE MALE GAZE SCORE: 0
[no issues]
GENDER/SEXUALITY SCORE: 0
[no issues]
WILDCARD SCORE: +10
Is there anything either positive or negative in the film’s representation of women not already accounted for here? (points will vary)
TOTAL SCORE: +36
IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? Yes (Sarah Gavron) (does not impact scoring)
IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? Yes (Abi Morgan) (does not impact scoring)
BOTTOM LINE: Shockingly, this is the very first big-screen movie ever about suffragettes, and it is wonderful to see women in roles — some fictionalized, some authentic represenations of real women — with historical and cultural significance. And though every woman here is a wife, a mother, or both, not one single female character is defined solely by her relationship with another person who depends upon her for support. This is splendid representation of women as fully human people.
Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.
NOTE: This is not a “review” of Suffragette! 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 Suffragette.
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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where are the women