Rounding off this challenge, I have decided to combine weeks 3 and 4 in the same writeup. As you may remember, week 4 consisted of concluding the challenge which you can find towards the end of this entry. Again, if you want a reminder of the previous installments of this challenge, check them out here: Intro; Week 1; Week 2.
For week 3, I decided to look at badass women in film. Check out my choices below...
1) Ocean's Eight (2018)
For my first choice in looking at badass women in film, I decided to look at Ocean's Eight. Following the recent trend of reimagining films whose original cast consisted of mostly males, with female characters in place (see Ghostbusters [2016] and What Men Want [2019]), Ocean's Eight was the female answer to Ocean's Eleven (2001). As you may know from that film, the plot follows a con artist, Danny Ocean who conspires to steal from a casino in Vegas. Ocean's Eight now follows Danny's sister, Debbie (conveniently never mentioned in the original trilogy) who follows the footsteps of her older brother, planning a heist that would fulfil her thirst for revenge. Just like with the original, Debbie gathers together a team of con experts to help her pull off the heist, but unlike the previous films, Debbie only needs 7 other women to help her out. And instead of robbing a casino, Debbie has taken on the task of stealing a diamond necklace, worth $150 million. To do so, the gang has to conjure up a plan of infiltrating the Met Gala, an event in which celebrities take part in showcasing the talents of fashion designers. Will Debbie and her gang succeed?
I was actually pleasantly surprised by this choice in film. From the mixed reviews when the film originally came out, to certain people's angry reluctance to give a film headlined by women a chance, I was expecting a bit of a fluffy piece. I certainly enjoyed Ocean's Eleven when it was first released but its sequels that followed showed that it quickly ran out of steam. Keeping enough of the plot similar to the original in order for it to show it has descended from the original trilogy, Ocean's Eight still manages to accomplish the goal of standing on its own. Each main cast member worked, as an ensemble and by themselves, and who could ever doubt Sandra Bullock by now? I was also surprised by Rihanna and was quite impressed by her ability to stand alongside legends such as Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter. Less can be said of James Corden's character of the Insurance Investigator, which could have either been cut or given to a much more capable actor. Don't let his attempt of being a Hollywood leading man, but instead coming across as an extra in a Pantomime, put you off though. Ocean's Eight is a fun companion to 2001's Ocean's Eleven.
2) Wanted (2008)
With my next choice, I decided to focus on Wanted. Based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and JG Jones, Wanted follows the character of Wesley, a guy living a very mundane life. He hates his job, his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend and he has given up on life. Until he runs into Fox, an assassin who seemingly saves his life. Fox introduces Wesley to The Fraternity, a secret society that revolves around assassinations. Wesley is informed by the Head of the Fraternity that his father was part of The Fraternity and Wesley would have inherited his skills. From there, Wesley is taken on an extreme training regime which allows him to keep up with the assassins involved in the society. As Wesley takes on more assignments, he realises that not everything is what it seems at The Fraternity...I remember watching this film at the cinemas and being impressed by it. It was action-packed, it was quirky, it was funny and it had an unusal plot. And really, a film where Angelina Jolie plays a badass assassin with no cares in the world was essential viewing. However, on second viewing I can see how problematic the film is. The most glaring issue is the lack of women in the film. Angelina Jolie is the only main female character; it would have been nice to see more characters just like her character of Fox kicking ass. However, the character of Fox was a good representation of badass women, outshining the men around her and being a force to be reckoned with. It's a shame that her character was not the main focus. Really, who can ever be disappointed with Angelina Jolie when it comes to action roles? She has proven time and time again that she can hold her own against all the male action stars out there. It's always a delight to see Jolie turn up in an action film, even if their plotlines are total nonsense (I'm looking at you, Tomb Raider). Even though Wanted was disappointing on a rewatch, Angelina Jolie was the standout and made a lasting impression.
3) Black Swan (2010)
My third and final choice was a struggle. I could not decide on a film that showcased badass women that hasn't already been done to death. Black Swan was a film that kept popping up in my research and, as I was unaware of the plot aside from it having to do with Ballet Dancers competing with each other, I decided to give it a whirl.At the start of the film, we find Nina, a young ballet dancer who is eager to gain a prominent position in the world of ballet. An opportunity comes up where that might be attainable, when the director of the ballet company announces they are going to be performing Swan Lake. This is something that Nina (and we soon find out her mom) has been dreaming about, the performance will give Nina the chance to show the world her abilities as a dancer. The only problem is Thomas the director, who doesn't view Nina as passionate enough to portray the dual role of White Swan/Black Swan. The pressure that Nina is put under to prove Thomas wrong and to please her controlling mother reaches a boiling point, with Nina's mental health at risk. What follows is a series of events showing how fragile Nina's mental health is and no event actually being guaranteed as having taken place, due to Nina's paranoia delusions increasing.
This film made a lasting impression with me, I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I watched it. I did worry that it would not showcase badass women, due to Natalie Portman's character first coming across as nervous and child-like. However, as the film progressed, it was made obvious that Nina, and Mila Kunis's character Lily were badass in different ways from one another. The growth of Nina from a girl into a woman who has managed to gain control in the end is stunning to see. The character of Lily was your typical portrayal of a badass: confident girl comes in, likes to drink and do drugs, sports tattoos, and is very bubbly. The fact that Nina had a growth arc was compelling to me, it made her character more than one-dimensional. She was able to break free from all the preconceived notions that her peers held for her. Her ability to break free from her over-demanding mother, shows she has taken the steps to become independent. She was also able to fight off Thomas during an assault, showing she has the confidence to stand up for herself. An interesting study of mental health struggles and the pressures women are put under every day, this will not be my last time in watching Black Swan.
Conclusion
I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in this challenge, it was such a positive experience to find so many decent films made, produced, and starring women. My individual thoughts of each week are as follows:
- Week 1: As you may remember, week 1 focused on films written by women. I enjoyed a couple of the films featured that week, but I didn't realise it was going to be a struggle finding a film available to me that was written solely by a woman. This proves Hollywood needs to step up and enter the 21st Century more. We may have come a long way but in the future, looking back on films from this era, it should be a given that there are as many films written by women that are being made, that they are by men.
- Week 2: For films that were directed by women, I feel like there was a larger scope to choose from, compared to the first week. Certainly, it seemed that there were a variety of genres that had been directed by women, compared to films written solely by women which were limited in genre. I liked that there were films available to me that differed to one another but with a similar theme. To see stories told with the female gaze made them refreshing and to see that there is a wider choice in having that story being told was encouraging. This should become the norm in the future of film.
- Week 3: Even though all of my choices during the third week were all representative of baddass women, each film that I watched was directed by a man. It may have been nice to see the story with a female auteur at the helm, though each actress was more than capable in taking the character as their own and putting their spin on the story. Each character showed they were more than their stereotype portrays them to be, and that if you ever wronged a woman, for whatever reason, you will get your comeuppance.
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