Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Why everyone's talking about 'Lady Bird,' and why you should be too [Chicago Tribune]

On Monday, I shared with everyone that my first reaction to Miss Representation was thinking that many of my male friends wouldn't want to see a film about the struggles that girls and women face. That afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised when one of my best guy friends asked if I wanted to see 'Lady Bird' with him and my other guy friend, who had already seen it once and wanted to see it again. Since they are people who normally rave about Star Wars and Marvel films, this was definitely unexpected coming from them.

After watching the film with them today (and crying together), I just wanted to share the movie and my experience because 1) Lady Bird is a new favorite of mine, and 2) I learned that perhaps more now than in the past, men are willing to listen to and care about women's stories. It's such a powerful story focused on a young girl and her mother, and I can see why it's 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

I chose this article to share because I think Schmich does a good job of pointing out what's different about this movie and other movies that have been labeled as "feminist," such as 'Wonder Woman.' In particular, I thought this quote was especially important:
“Lady Bird” helps to widen the lens. It’s exactly the right movie for this fraught moment, in which many people are opening their eyes to the truth of sexual harassment and how it can harm women’s opportunities and view of themselves.
I'm curious to know if anyone else has seen this film, and if they have thoughts on the article!

2 comments:

  1. It's great to hear about your male friend's interest in this type of movie. I also believe that men are more willing to listen and care about women's stories than we give them credit for. Lady Bird is now on my list of must see movies!

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  2. Thanks for sharing, Jane! I saw Lady Bird with both of my parents over Thanksgiving and was in tears more most of the moving. It was interesting to compare how my mom and I reacted in contrast to my father. My mom and I connected so deeply to the mother daughter relationship in Lady Bird and felt it depicted so much raw emotion that we have gone through together. My dad enjoyed watching the film, but didn't quite understand why we had gotten so emotional about the movie. Similar to your experience with your male friends viewing the movie, I think it is a great movie to expose men to becoming for familiar with female stories, and aids in greater empathy and understanding.

    This movie is a must see!!!

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