BASIC REPRESENTATION SCORE: +12
FEMALE AGENCY/POWER/AUTHORITY SCORE: +2
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: +24
IS THE FILM’S DIRECTOR FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)
IS THE FILM’S SCREENWRITER FEMALE? No (does not impact scoring)
BOTTOM LINE: There are so many women onscreen here, unlike what we usually expect from a documentary, that it is refreshing and encouraging. It is perhaps not surprising that most — though not all — of the rape survivors talking about their experiences here are women. But it is surprising that the vast majority of the university administrators, lawyers, alumni, professors, activists, and other experts are also female. Male authorities are a tiny minority here.
Click here for the ongoing ranking of 2015’s films for female representation.
Click here for the ranking of 2015’s Oscar-nominated films for female representation.
NOTE: This is not a “review” of The Hunting Ground! 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 The Hunting Ground.
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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