This week I’m talking about the 2021 movie Our Father, where two young women go in search of their estranged uncle after their father’s death. (I’m aiming to watch an average of one movie a week in 2024.)

I chose Our Father because I’ve been wanting to watch a movie featuring Chicago actor Brian King. A trailer for this one caught my eye, though he appears in only one scene.

The Premise Of Our Father

In the days after their father’s death, two young women learn that they have an uncle who was never mentioned to them before.

Their father’s other family, which includes their half brothers and their father’s ex-wife, offer the sisters little comfort or connection.

Confused and distraught over their father’s suicide and feeling isolated and alone, the two sisters go in search of this mysterious uncle.

What I Liked

• The story gradually reveals what’s happening and why, as well as the characters’ back story, leaving viewers to put the pieces together in a way I found fascinating.
• The dialogue is the best I’ve ever heard in a movie. It has the feel of real life but never drags or includes extraneous lines. 
• All the conflict arises from the story and characters–there are no forced or faked conflicts just to move the plot along. 
• The sisters are three-dimensional characters who aren’t simply there to sort out how they connect to the men in their lives. While the sisters talk about their father, brothers, boyfriends, and uncle, they also talk about work, school, hope, the lack of hope, and what they want in their lives. And the most important relationship is the one between the two of them.
• I loved that the ways women constantly deal with and navigate around men’s feelings (particularly feelings of entitlement or inadequacy) is shown repeatedly, yet the film never feels like it is hitting viewers over the head. A few of the examples were dealt with so quickly, almost as asides, that I didn’t grasp this theme until thinking over the film later.
• The challenges of forging emotional connections and dealing with adulthood while feeling unprepared for it felt very real and raw.

What Didn’t Work As Well

• I love Chicago, which is ostensibly the setting, as the city and a few addresses are mentioned. I’m always excited to see my home city depicted in film, TV, or novels. But for whatever reason, the locations weren’t recognizable as Chicago. (It might have been filmed in part during the pandemic, and perhaps the lack of traffic threw me off.)
• There were moments of humor that felt a bit slapsticky or goofy and jarred me a bit. Overall, though, the dark humor worked well.

Four and a Half Stars (Of Five)

This is one of the best films I’ve seen in a very long time. I give Our Father 4.5 stars for very believable, compelling characters, genuine conflict that drives plot and character growth, and themes that made me think for days.

At least right now, it’s available free if you have Amazon Prime. (Click here to check it out.)

Lisa M. Lilly

P.S. To read last week’s look at the horror/comedy/coming of age film The Final Girls click here.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through this site, but that doesn’t change prices to you.)

The post Our Father (2021) (Movie Review) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

I chose The Final Girls because I like the actress Nina Dobrev. She plays a key role, though she’s not the lead.

The Premise Of The Final Girls

Main character Max’s mother is an actress best known for a starring role in a classic cult horror movie. Max and her mother are very close, which is easy to see in the opening scene. But tragedy strikes, and her mother is killed in a car crash when Max is still a teenager.

Three years later Max gets roped into attending an anniversary showing of Camp Bloodbath and its sequel. She’s avoided the films for a lot of reasons, including that her mom really wanted to be known for more serious roles.

Max and her friends, including a somewhat mean girl played by Nina Dobrev, get catapulted into the horror movie. They all realize they need to stay with the character who will be the “final girl” — the one who doesn’t have sex and who survives.

But this is tricky as their actions affect the plot. And it’s especially challenging for Max, who begins to see the character as her mother and really wants to spend time with her.

What I Liked

• what at first looked like just a fun satire of campy slasher movies turned out to include layered, likeable characters with story arcs beyond the horror
• the ways the film explored and critiqued horror tropes without being preachy
• real connections, conversations, and growth between the female characters (yes, it passes the Bechdel test)
• the mix of horror and comedy (how could I not love that being host of a podcast about Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

What Didn’t Work As Well

• the pace was a bit slow, though in some ways I enjoyed that as it gave time to get to know the characters 
• the first half hour or so was predictable and I almost stopped watching, thinking it would just be a spoof–as noted above, though, it turned into much more, so I’m glad I stuck with it

Three Stars (Of Five)

I give The Final Girls 3 stars for fun, character development, and some surprising twists. It’s a great watch for an evening at home. I found it on Amazon Prime.

What’s next? I’m not absolutely certain, but I’m thinking Our Father, a film about two sisters who go in search of their estranged uncle after their father dies. 

Lisa M. Lilly

P.S. Click here to read last week’s look at sci fi thriller What Happened To Monday.

The post The Final Girls (Movie Review) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

Many people make resolutions to try to improve parts of their lives they struggle with. But often they focus on what the “should” do not what they want to do. Eat vegetables every day. Go to the gym once a week. Learn a language. The challenge comes when you miss a day or a week, then one more, and pretty soon it’s March. Sometimes all you feel, if you think of resolutions at all, is sort of bummed that you didn’t stick with it.

And here’s my confession. Having fun is something I struggle with.

Needing More Fun

It’s not that I never have a good time. But quite often that’s mixed with creativity and work. I love writing fiction. It makes me feel wonderful. I have a great time going out with my friends. But I met lots of them in my other life as a lawyer, so when we get together for fun we tend to talk work, too. Ditto with other writers and creators.

Also, for decades of my life I worked so many hours I didn’t have much time to do things just because I enjoyed them. When I did, I read books, which I’m happily doing more of now that I’m working less. But I practically forgot what it’s like to have a good amount of free time.

You can probably see why a New Year’s resolution to have fun is a good thing.

New Year’s Resolution Fun

One of my favorite things to in the years after college was to see movies. My boyfriend at the time (who is a screenwriter now) and I had little spending money. We both had arranged our lives to write as much as possible and work as few hours as possible at our day jobs.

But every Tuesday we either went to the second-run movie theater ($1.50) and saw whatever was playing or chose a movie ($1) from our local library’s videotape collection. (Yes, it was that long ago.) There, too, selection was limited. That meant we saw a lot of movies we didn’t absolutely love. But we loved taking them apart afterward as much as we did watching them.

That’s why I settled on movies for my new year’s resolution:

One movie a week in 2024. At the movie theater when I can, streaming otherwise. 

And, as long as it stays fun, I’ll share a little about them here.

The First Movie

I know this is a great resolution because I started it early. Last Friday I picked a movie from Netflix with a cool concept. It’s called What Happened To Monday. (Which you knew from the photo. That’s my Kindle Scribe, which I just got as a holiday present. I’m having fun with that, too, as you can see by my starting my movie list using its notebook feature.)

The Premise

In a future very overpopulated world, a one-child policy is put in place. Additional children are taken away and put in cryogenic sleep. But a grandfather is unwilling to see this happen to his grandchildren, who are septuplets.

He names them each for a day of the week and pretends they are one person. Monday goes out only on Monday. Tuesday on Tuesday and so forth. At home each girl has her own life and expresses herself how she chooses. But to the outside world, these girls are only one girl, one personality they create between them. This works well for decades.

Then one day Monday doesn’t return home from work to rehash the day with her siblings and her electronic tracking goes dark. The others must find out what happened to save her and themselves. But how can they without revealing their secret?

What I Liked

• I loved this premise. It’s a fascinating chance to explore identity, inner lives, and the pressures to present a certain way to society.
• No question this movie passes the Bechdel test. These women, all named, talk to one another all the time about all sorts of topics other than men.
• The early twists engaged me, and a few surprised me.
• Glenn Close (she’s the villain). I like her in any movie.

What Didn’t Work As Well

• The mystery shifted too quickly to chase and fight scenes for me, leaving too little time to explore the themes that intrigued me.
• The gore likewise was a bit too much for me (and eyeballs freak me out).
• Glenn Close’s character was too much of an evil villain. I’m more intrigued by layered villains who do evil things but with whom we can sympathize. Some groundwork was laid for understanding her point of view, but we don’t get to know her enough to feel for her.
• The ending never dealt with the overpopulation issue, which the movie did a good job of showing truly was a serious and humanity-endangering problem but then in my view brushed aside.

Three Stars (Of Five)

The 3 stars is mainly for the premise and some interesting moments and world-building. If this were a usual year where I see maybe 4 or 5 movies, I’d be disappointed I picked this one. But it’s 1 out of 52, so I felt like it was a pretty good start.

What’s next? Check back and see. Oh, and Happy New Year!

Lisa M. Lilly

P.S. If you happen to be a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan and want to hear thoughts on the story elements of each episode, check out my Buffy and the Art of Story podcast and books here.

The post New Year’s Resolutions For Fun appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(You can find out more about the 3 tests I’ll use in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

The Story

In the future a wealthy capitol city governs twelve districts that once rebelled against it. As payback, the Capitol requires each district to draw names of one boy and one girl—called Tributes—each year to battle to the death in a staged reality show/pageant.

Katniss Everdeen, a young woman who lives in impoverished District 12, volunteers when her little sister’s name is drawn. Katiniss and Peeta, the boy from District 12, become allies, friends, enemies, and love interests as they fight the Tributes from other districts and struggle against the Capitol’s machinations.

Quick Results

Bechdel: Pass

Sexy Lamp: Strong Pass

Mako Mori: Strong Pass

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a (named) female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

Who’s Talking To Whom About What

Three sets of named female characters talk to one another about something other than a man. I was surprised, however, at how many more one-on-one male conversations there are than female-to-female given that The Hunger Games features a female lead and a large cast of both male and female characters.

Here’s the breakdown:

Women To Women

Katniss and her sister, Prim, talk about:

• the Hunger Games
• how Tributes are chosen
• Prim’s nightmare
• singing
• a Mockingjay pin

Effie (a mentor for the games) and Katniss talk about:

• Katniss volunteering to save Prim
• an interview where Katniss does a good job

Rue, a young female Tribute, and Katniss talk about:

• getting food
• their districts
• healing wounds with plants
• strategy
• Peeta
• signaling one another through Mockingjays
• Rue’s fatal injuries (Katniss sings to her)

The rest of the one-on-one conversations between female characters include one or more who are never named.

For instance, Katniss and her mother, who is unnamed, talk about:

• the Hunger Games
• the way mom shut down after Katniss’ father’s death
• how to survive while Katniss is gone
• clothes for the Reaping Day

Katniss’ mom and Prim talk about:

• clothes for the Reaping Day
• Prim looking pretty

Also, Katniss talks to an unnamed female vendor about the Mockingjay pin and trading.

Men To Men

TV personality Caesar and gamemaker Seneca Crane talk about:

• past and current games
• the Rebellion
• the Tributes
• Katniss volunteering

Caesar and another announcer, Claudius, talk about:

• the Tributes
• the victors
• the crowd size
• the history of the games
• costumes and stylists

Seneca Crane and President Snow talk about:

• Katniss
• why the games have a victor
• hope
• underdogs
• containing potential rebellions

Peeta and Haymitch (a mentor to Katniss and Peeta) talk about:

• how to survive

Caesar and Peeta talk about:

• the Capitol
• Peeta’s feelings for Katniss

Haymitch and Seneca Crane talk about:

• giving the crowds something to root for

Women And Men

Katniss and Peeta talk about many topics, including:

• their mentor Haymitch
• seeking help
• strategy
• who is stronger
• Peeta’s declaration of feelings for Katniss
• injuries
• other Tributes, including Rue
• their families
• remaining true to themselves
• winning
• how much to risk to get medical supplies
• their childhoods
• hunting
• food and plants
• surviving

Katniss and her friend Gale talk about:

• hunting
• killing animals versus people
• the games
• selling to Peacekeepers
• their families
• running away
• getting food
• caring for Katniss’ family when she’s gone

Haymitch and Katniss talk about:

• that he believes she can win
• strategy
• the consequences of making the Capitol look bad

Katniss and Cinna (the stylist who designs her clothes) talk about:

• being likable
• interviewing
• sponsors
• making an impression
• Katniss being brave and volunteering
• making friends
• costumes
• his faith in her

Caesar and Katniss talk about:

• the flames under her costumes
• her promise to Prim that she’ll try to win
• her nervousness being on stage

Many other conversations occur between mixed groups of male and female characters.

For example, Haymitch talks with Peeta and Katniss about strategy, sponsors, and their skills, as does Effie. Peeta talks with a group of Tributes about hunting Katniss. The same group talks about Peeta when he’s not there and about strategy.

Conclusion

The Hunger Games passes the Bechdel Test.

In one of the earliest scenes Katniss talks to her sister, Prim, about the games. During the games, Katniss allies herself with Rue, a girl about Prim’s age. While the two talk about Peeta, they mainly talk about strategy and survival. Katniss also has a couple one-line conversations with Effie.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp without affecting the plot?)

No question Katniss drives the story rather than solely being an object for male characters to protect, chase, or attack. She promises her sister to try to win. She knows how to (and does) hunt, forage for food, fight, protect others, protect herself, and outwit enemies.

While Peeta falls in love with her and that has some effect on both their fortunes in the game, Katniss’ storyline turns on her ability to survive, fight, make alliances, connect with people, play a part, and be herself.

Conclusion

The Hunger Games passes the Sexy Lamp Test.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

Yes, for the same reasons in the Sexy Lamp Test above.

Also, interestingly, here it is Peeta’s storyline that supports Katniss’. He feels he has no chance, while Katniss does. His approach is to help her and/or to hide from others. Without her, he probably couldn’t survive.

In many ways, Haymitch’s storyline also supports Katniss’ story. True, Haymitch has his own arc. He allows himself to hope that, for once, one of his Tributes will survive. But it’s Katniss more so than Peeta who sparks that hope and feeds it.

Without Katniss, there’s no story for Haymitch or Peeta.

Conclusion

The Hunger Games passes the Mako Mori Test.

Did I Like It

I love so much about The Hunger Games, including Katniss as a hero. I’ve probably watched it three or four times in addition to the first viewing in the theater. Before that I read the book, which I also love.

Along with being a great story with compelling characters, The Hunger Games highlights a lot of issues women face.

Without being heavy handed, the film shows us how much more time and effort Katniss must spend on her appearance and also the double standard that requires her to be both fierce/scary to other Tributes and approachable/likable.

Coming Soon

Not sure, but I keep hearing good things about the horror film Jennifer’s Body. So I’m thinking about that next.

You might also like:

Avengers: Infinity War – Women Talk, Men Talk More, & Everyone Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 7)

The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 5)

Terminator 2: Sarah, Action Hero, But… (Women & Men in the Movies No. 6)

Leia Says Little In The Last Jedi (Women & Men in the Movies No. 9)

Annihilation: Five Women And The Unknown (Women, Men, and Movies No. 4)

Ex Machina: If An A.I. Were A Woman (Women, Men, and Movies No. 3)

The post The Hunger Games: And Still Men Talk More (Women & Men in the Movies No. 11) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

Spoiler Warning:

I usually try not to spoil any major plot points in my articles. For Transcendence, however, I found that particularly difficult. The conversational topics often require revealing aspects of the plot. If you want to watch the film without knowing major points along the way, better to watch first, then read.

The Story

A scientist deals with fallout from the quest of her husband (and fellow scientist) to develop artificial intelligence when his consciousness is uploaded and becomes an A.I.

Quick Results

Bechdel:        F

Sexy Lamp:    P

Mako Mori:   F

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a (named) female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

Who’s Talking To Whom

Women To Women:

No one-on-one conversations between named female characters occur. Women occasionally speak to mixed groups of men and women. (See Women and Men below.)

Men To Men:

Max, a colleague and friend of the main characters, scientists Evelyn and Will Castor, provides voiceovers about:

• Technology
• Will’s and Evelyn’s work
• Advancements in technology
• Internet blackouts
• Will’s and Evelyn’s love and garden

Will and Max talk about:

• Why RIFT does what it does
• Work that another scientist, Casey, did
• Will’s work
• Saving Will
• Whether Max is as smart as Will and Evelyn
• Taking care of Evelyn
• Saving Evelyn
• A computer virus to stop Will

Max and another colleague/fellow scientist Joseph talk about:

• Evelyn
• RIFT (an anti-technology terrorist group)
• Will
• Hybrid A.I./humans

Joseph, FBI agent Donald Buchanan, and other FBI agents talk (separately and together) about:

• A.I. and Will
• RIFT
• Use of existing mind to create A.I.
• Morality and computers
• Will building an army
• Shutting down the Internet

Several other short conversations occur that include one or more of the following male characters: Max, Will, Martin (a contractor), male RIFT members, and unnamed male characters. Topics include:

• Evelyn
• Will
• Max’s presentation
• Greetings
• Martin (a contractor) becoming reconnected to Will (in his A.I. form)

Women And Men:

Evelyn Castor and Will Castor talk about:

• Sanctuary
• Technology breakthroughs
• Donors and funding
• Will’s work
• Mapping Will’s brain
• Max’s concerns about Will’s consciousness
• Evelyn’s safety
• Healing the planet
• Building an underground data center
• When they met
• How people will react to technological advances
• Nanotechnology
• Enhancements to Martin (the contractor)
• “Fixing” people
• Whether Will (as an A.I.) is destroying or saving the world and lives
• Max’s life
• Good that Will (as an A.I.) is doing
• Staying together

And Evelyn and Max talk about:

• Saving Will
• Will’s work
• Uploading Will’s mind
• How much of consciousness on computer is Will’s
• Love
• How Will changed
• Fighting RIFT and military personnel
• Stopping Will
• Evolution
• Rain water
• The end of organic life
• Changing the world
• The brain versus the soul
• Human emotion
• A virus to stop Will
• Uploading Evelyn with the virus

Evelyn speaks to an audience (mixed male and female) about:

• Einstein
• Intelligent machines
• Curing disease
• Ending hunger
• Will

Evelyn also talks with men, separately or in groups, including Will (as an A.I.), Joseph, and FBI Agent Buchanan. Topics include:

• Saving Martin (the contractor)
• Self-awareness
• PINN (an artificial intelligence Will created while human)
• Nanotechnology
• People who are networked to Will (as an A.I.)
• Building a data center

Bree, a woman who seems to be a leader or key figure for RIFT, and Max talk one-on-one about:

• The promise and perils of technology
• Evelyn
• PINN
•  Connecting Will to the Internet
• Scientist Thomas Casey
• A monkey uploaded to computer
• Max’s philosophy and concerns about AI
• What Will (as an A.I.) wants
• Stopping Will

Bree also speaks with other male characters, including Will (as an A.I.) and RIFT members, Topics include:

• Uploading a virus
• Threatening Max
• Finding and “saving” Evelyn
• Will being online
• Fixing what Will and Evelyn did
• Giving Evelyn a chance to survive
• Video of Will’s complex
• Enhanced/hybrid people
• Shutting down PINN

Evelyn and Bree appear in scenes with groups of men, including Max, RIFT members, and Joseph. Topics include:

• Uploading Evelyn with a virus
• Will’s body

Other mixed male/female conversations also occur. They include an unnamed young woman, an unnamed male doctor, Max, Evelyn, Will, Joseph, FBI Agent Buchanan, and a female AI (PINN). Topics include:

• Greetings
• Will’s autograph
• Attacks on computer labs
• Joseph being at the FBI
• Cyber defense work
• Will’s work
• Protests against transcendence (a.k.a. singularity)
• Research lost
• Whether PINN is self-aware
• Will’s physical condition

Max does a presentation to a mixed crowd of men and women about:

• Cures for cancer and Alzheimer’s
• Advancements in technology
• Will

Will also speaks to mixed audience of men and women about:

• A.I.
• Human intelligence
• Biology
• Reason
• Emotions
• The soul
• Creating god

A woman newscaster on television (presumably addressing a large audience of watchers that includes men and women) talks about:

• A series of attacks on computer and research labs, including one on Will

Conclusion

Three named female characters have speaking roles: scientist Evelyn Castor, the A.I. PINN, and Bree (no last name).

Bree wears a lot of dark eyeliner, presumably so we know she’s tough, and seems to be a sort of leader of RIFT, a group that resists technology. But Bree remains silent in many scenes. When she speaks, it’s to men.

PINN only has a few lines to a mixed group of men and women.

Evelyn and Bree never speak to one another one-on-one, though they are in some scenes together with male characters. In those scenes, however, one or the other is silent.

Transcendence fails the Bechdel Test.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp without affecting the plot?)

The main female characters are Evelyn and Bree.

Evelyn uploads Will into a computer and assists him in expanding into an A.I. and building his underground complex. She also makes choices that are key to stopping Will as an A.I.

Bree may or may not be driving or leading RIFT, the terrorist organization opposing technology. Her role isn’t clear, but she is the only RIFT member whose name I caught. She appears in many scenes and has some key conversations with male characters, though she interacts little with Will or Evelyn. Some of her choices alter the plot.

Conclusion

Transcendence passes the Sexy Lamp Test.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

Evelyn’s storyline supports Will’s. It’s all about trying to keep him alive, to stop him, or to save him. While early on she says she wants to heal the planet, that desire doesn’t motivate her actions in Transcendence.

Bree appears to lead RIFT but we don’t see much of what she does in the organization. The only part of her story that progresses is about stopping Will. We also don’t see any character growth for Bree.

Conclusion

Transcendence fails the Mako Mori Test.

Did I Like It

The first time I watched Transcendence was around 2014, not long after it came out. Seeing these two key women characters who live entirely surrounded by men and only men distracted me from the story. It also struck me as so unrealistic that I started reading about the Bechdel Test and thinking I’d eventually like to write about this issue.

On second watch for this article, I saw additional plot issues.

If you’ve read earlier articles (such as the ones about Ex Machina, Terminator, and Terminator 2), you know plots about technology intrigue me.

Transcendence looks at important themes, including the nature of humanity, intelligence, and God. It also examines, or tries to, how much power one person or A.I. ought to have and what power does. Finally, it considers what it means to love and to be human.

But themes don’t equal story.

Here, I struggled with the story both as I watched and when writing the short description for this article. For one thing, it’s hard to tell who the protagonist and antagonist are.

Will might be the protagonist, yet early on he becomes fatally ill. Evelyn and Max decide to upload him to a computer to save him. That choice and Evelyn’s skills and dedication to it drive the story from the film’s one-quarter point on.

Max also drives much of the plot. His voiceovers begin and end the film. Bree tells us much of RIFT grew out of talks about his philosophy. So maybe he’s the protagonist.

Will seems to become the antagonist later in Transcendence.

His A.I. consciousness expands and begins taking over humans. RIFT, Max, and Joseph begin working against him. Evelyn first helps and then resists him.

Based on the ending, though, I wonder if Will is the protagonist after all and RIFT the antagonist.

The other obvious protagonist choice is Evelyn. While her choices propel much of the story, most of those decisions, however, are made in reaction to Will’s choices or circumstances.

Confusion about the protagonist and antagonist aside, what stuck with me most from the film was the isolation of Bree and Evelyn among groups of men. Much like my feelings about The Last Jedi, here I would have really liked to see the two women confront one another and deal with their differences. Perhaps work together to oppose Will.

But that’s a different film.

As to Transcendence as it is, if you’re fascinated by the questions technology raises you might enjoy it despite what are, in my opinion, significant flaws.

Next Week’s Film: Hunger Games

Why? Because I love it. And because I expect it to pass all three tests, but sometimes I expect that and am surprised.

You might also like:

Avengers: Infinity War – Women Talk, Men Talk More, & Everyone Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 7)

The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 5)

The post The Protagonist Might Be Anyone In Transcendence (Women & Men in the Movies No. 10) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

The Story

A family struggles to live in a silence in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters hunt and kill based on noise.

Spoilers: I’ve done my best not to spoil anything major that wasn’t shown in the previews, but if you want to remain completely spoiler-free you may want to watch the movie first and come back.

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a (named) female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

We never hear any of the characters’ names, so technically A Quiet Place could never pass the Bechdel Test. Because there’s minimal spoken dialogue, though, and all five family members are named in the credits, I’ll treat each as a named character.

The family communicates mainly via sign language with subtitles. To keep it simple, unless it’s important, I haven’t split out sign language from spoken conversations. I did not count as conversations mere expressions, such as a nod or frown.

Who’s Talking To Whom

Women To Women:

The mother, Evelyn, talks to her daughter, Emily, once. They talk about:

• Marcus (Emily’s brother) being okay after Evelyn gives him medicine (1 line)

Men To Men:

The father, Lee, talks with son Marcus about:

• Lee’s relationship with daughter Emily
• Whether Lee can really protect the children
• When it’s safe to make noise or talk out loud
• Whether Marcus is safe

Lee talks to son Beau about:

• A toy rocket being too loud to keep

Women And Men:

Husband and wife Evelyn and Lee talk about:

• How Evelyn looks
• The upcoming birth of their fourth child
• The baby
• Where the children are
• Grief and guilt
• Whether they can protect their children
• The kids knowing how to survive

Children Emily and Beau talk about:

• Using a rocket to get away

Children Emily and Marcus talk about:

• Whether their dad will come and get them
• Being quiet

Evelyn (mom) and Marcus (son) talk about:

• Learning math
• That Lee (dad) will protect Marcus
• Marcus not wanting to go out fishing or outside with Lee
• Evelyn wanting Marcus  to be able to take care of himself and of her when she’s old

Lee (dad) and Emily (daughter) talk about:

• Radio parts and signals
• Emily’s hearing
• Staying out of his workshop
• Dinnertime
• Emily wanting to go with to learn survival skills
• Emily staying with and helping her mother
• Whether Emily’s safe
• That Lee loves Emily

Conclusion

A Quiet Place fails the Bechdel Test. Also, while there are few conversations at all in the movie, the least talking (verbal or non-verbal) occurs between the two female characters.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp without affecting the plot?)

Both Evelyn (mom) and Emily (daughter) play active roles in the plot. Emily gives her littlest brother a forbidden toy in the beginning, setting the stage for much of the movie. She also takes off at a key moment, leaving her mother more vulnerable that she otherwise would be. And she later finds ways to fight the monsters.

Because Evelyn is very pregnant during most of the film, she’s sidelined for a lot of it. All the same, she teaches her children, she manages many challenging tasks in silence, and she takes actions that are pivotal to the plot.

Conclusion

A Quiet Place passes the Sexy Lamp Test.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

Evelyn:

A little after the midpoint of A Quiet Place, Evelyn tells her husband he has to protect the kids. Before that, she talks about her son Marcus needing to learn survival skills to protect and take care of her.

While she also does things to protect her children and works hard to care for her family, her dialogue seems to default to the male family members being more responsible for protection despite that the daughter, Emily, looks to be five or six years older than her brother Marcus.

At the end, Evelyn becomes more active in fighting the monsters.

Emily:

Emily starts out being engaged and active in protecting the family and surviving. She withdraws after a tragedy she partly contributes to. She reacts mostly with anger, and she fears her dad doesn’t love her.

By the end, however, she’s realized her dad does love her and rather than running away she fights.

Conclusion

I’m on the fence on whether the progression for Evelyn qualifies as a narrative arc. An arc requires growth and change.

While Evelyn is more active at the end, I’m not sure that comes from her growing and changing as a person rather than from a change in circumstance. For most of the movie she’s heavily pregnant, which limits what she can do. Also, I don’t quite believe that she sees the burden of protection as falling more on her husband and son overall, despite the screenwriters giving her lines that suggest it. We see her being very smart and capable throughout A Quiet Place, so it doesn’t feel like a significant change when she takes charge of the fight at the end.

Emily, though, changes both internally and externally. While that change relates to her dad, it is not supporting his story line but is her own arc.

A Quiet Place passes the Mako Mori Test.

Quick Results

Bechdel:  F

Sexy Lamp:    P

Mako Mori:   P

Did I Like It

At first A Quiet Place drew me in. It’s an intriguing premise: How do you survive in a world where you can’t make any noise?

The ways the characters manage their daily lives, such as using leaves to hold food rather than plates, fascinated me. Also, I pretty much think Emily Blunt is amazing in any film she’s in. And I loved the ending.

Throughout A Quiet Place, though, logic and common sense kept getting in the way of my enjoying the story.

Based on the timeline we’re given, five or six months after the apocalypse and the discovery of the monsters who hunt based on noise Evelyn gets pregnant.

All I could think was wouldn’t preventing a pregnancy in this world be absolutely top priority? You can’t stop a baby from crying. All you’d be doing is having a baby to see it get attacked and killed and probably the rest of the family with it.

While some of the suspense comes from how the family will manage this challenge, it seems their plan is only for the day of the birth and a short time after. Hard to say what they imagined they’d do for the first couple years. (Try to make a two year old be quiet by asking nicely. And silently. Go ahead. I’ll wait.)

Along the same lines, it’s established early on that living underground is safer.

It’s over a year after the apocalypse and empty buildings are everywhere, Yet the family lives mainly above ground. In an old house with creaky floors and stairs.

I understand no one wants to live below ground all the time. But it defies logic that they don’t do it most of the time, particularly with a baby on the way.

There are similar smaller issues that, for me, place the whole family solidly in the classic horror too-stupid-to-live trope, which made it hard to care what happened to them.

A Quiet Place also suffered from another common monster movie problem. Once the monsters are shown up close, they’re far less scary. After that happened, which was fairly early, my terror disappeared despite that I was watching alone in the dark.

I’m apparently in the minority, though.

After I finished watching the first time, I checked the reviews. To my surprise, most were great. On Rotten Tomatoes, A Quiet Place has a 95% score.

So, if you haven’t seen A Quiet Place and are thinking of it, you may very well enjoy it.

Coming Soon

Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

You might also like:

The Invitation: Psychological Suspense & Horror In Hollywood Hills (Women & Men in the Movies No. 1)

The post A Quiet Place: Defying Monsters and Common Sense (Women & Men in the Movies No. 8) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

The Story

Superheroes the Avengers and their allies fight to defeat the seemingly all-powerful Thanos who is seeking out and stealing Infinity Stones. With these stones, he can alter life as we know it.

SPOILERS: The ending of the movie and major plot points are not included below, but some developments are revealed or hinted at.

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a (named) female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

Who’s Talking To Whom

Action sequences take up major parts of the film and are pretty entertaining. (Even for someone like me who loves some fights scenes but often finds them dull if there are too many.)

Because of the amount of action, a lot of the conversations revolve around the same topics. There also are tons of characters—over 25 avengers and allies against a group of villains.

For those reasons, below I’ve grouped together most of the conversations where three or more characters talk.

Women To Women:

Despite that there are seven female Avengers/allies and a female villain, there are few conversations among female characters and three of them consist of only two lines.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Proxima Midnight have two separate two-line conversations about:

• Whether Black Widow will kill Proxima Midnight
• The death of Proxima Midnight’s friend

Nebula and Gamora (sisters) talk via hologram about:

• An infinity stone
• Thanos

Shuri and Scarlett Witch have a two-line conversation about:

• Whether Shuri can remove Vision’s stone without hurting him

Scarlett Witch, Black Widow, Okoye, and Proxima Midnight exchange four lines in total about:

• Scarlett Witch entering battlefield
• Threat that Scarlett Witch will die alone
• The fight

Men To Men:

There are many occasions where men talk to other men in large groups, small groups, or one-on-one, mostly about the same topics. The twenty (or so) male Avengers and allies talk amongst themselves and/or with the male villains about:

• The Tesseract
• The infinity stones
• Suffering v. salvation
• Loki and his death(s)
• Money
• Thanos
• Vision
• Steve Rogers
• The feud between Captain America and Ironman
• The Avengers as a group
• Fate
• Thor
• Weapons
• The Hulk
• The accord the Avengers signed
• Old movies
• Strategy
• Hunger
• Overpopulation
• Thor’s family members being killed
• Thor’s hammer
• Fate
• Vengeance
• Thanos’ home planet
• Thanos’ plan and reasoning for it

Women And Men:

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts talk one-on-one about:

• Tony’s dream
• Having a child
• Their relationship
• Tony being Ironman
• The alien ship
• Dinner reservations

Vision and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch talk one-on-one about:

• Their relationship
• An infinity stone
• Travel plans
• Thanos

Gamora and Thanos talk about:

• Gamora’s mother
• Fighting
• Weapons
• Balance
• Thanos kidnapping her
• Garmora’s feelings for Thanos
• An infinity stone
• Her sister
• Her years growing up
• Thanos’ plans
• Her home planet
• Universe’s resources

Gamora and Peter Quill talk about:

• Thanos
• What Gamora knows
• Gamora wants Quill to kill her if Thanos gets her
• Love

Okoye and Black Panther talk about:

• Fighting
• Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
• Progress
• Death

Also, in a scene after the credits Maria Hill and Nick Fury talk about what’s happening all around them.

Men and women talk to one another in groups (direct woman-to-woman conversations are only those listed in the Women-To-Women section above) about:

• Answering a distress signal
• Rewards
• Thor
• Losing weight
• Food
• Thanos
• Gamora’s relationship with Thanos
• Thor’s half-sister
• The Collector
• The Avengers
• The infinity stones
• Weapons
• Powers
• Vision’s life
• Removing Vision’s stone
• Possible outcomes of conflict
• Red Skull’s attempts to get the stones
• Vision’s programming
• Vision’s stone

Conclusion

Compared to other similar movies, female characters have more lines in Avengers: Infinity War and play key roles in the action scenes. The conversations among men far exceed those of women. They also talk about more topics, talk at length, and talk to other men exponentially more than women talk to other women.

Women talk at the greatest length and about the most diverse topics when speaking one-on-one with a male character. In a mixed group of men and women they talk as well, though not as much as the men. (That part’s probably inevitable given that there are more than twice as many male characters as female.)

There are, however, four times when a female character exchanges two or more lines with another female character. Two of those brief exchanges are are not about a man.

For that reason, Avengers: Infinity War (barely) passes the Bechdel Test.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp without affecting the plot?)

In her final scene, Gamora could be replaced with a sexy lamp in the sense that her key role is to be what Thanos “loves” and so sacrifices. But she does have a relationship with him from the time he adopts/kidnaps her that goes beyond him simply wanting to possess her or show her off, and she does help find a stone, so she affects the plot.

Likewise, the choices and fighting skills of other women characters, including the Scarlett Witch, affect the plot, though they don’t drive it as often as the men’s choices do.

In some ways, though, none of the Avengers or their allies really drives the plot. Throughout the movie they are mainly reacting to Thanos. While they do take some actions and choose approaches, in the end it’s Thanos who primarily drives the story.

Conclusion

Avengers: Infinity War passes the Sexy Lamp Test.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

I can’t think of any female character who has her own narrative arc. The closest might be Gamora as she faces her adoptive father, Thanos. But that story arc supports Thanos’ storyline.

Scarlett Witch has a narrative arc but it’s about her relationship with Vision.

Conclusion

Avengers: Infinity War fails the Mako Mori Test.

Quick Results

Bechdel: BP (Barely Passes)

Sexy Lamp: P

Mako Mori: F

Did I Like It

I enjoyed Avengers: Infinity War and found it entertaining.

Some of the suspense was ruined for me, as I heard about the ending not long after it came out. Also, because I haven’t seen all the movies, I spent a lot of time figuring out who was who. Had I known that, I think I would have enjoyed the movie far more. On second watch I found it pretty amazing how it pulled together so many different threads from the Marvel Universe.

Generally, the Avengers movies are my least favorite of the Marvel productions. To me, they have the least character development and the most action. While I sometimes find them fun, as I did Avengers: Infinity War, they rarely engross me.

Given the sheer number of characters, I was impressed that the film’s storyline and construction helped me keep track of most of them despite that I’m not a die hard Marvel fan. (I’ve watched some of the movies and am a huge Agents of Shield fan.) It helped that the movie grouped the characters and focused on them separately, making it easier to track the plot even if I wasn’t sure exactly who each person was.

Coming Soon

I’ll have to surprise you, as I haven’t decided yet. Some ideas are A Quiet Place, Black Panther, or The Martian.

You might also like:

Terminator 2: Sarah, Action Hero, But… (Women & Men in the Movies No. 6)

and

The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 5)

Annihilation: Five Women And The Unknown (Women & Men in the Movies No. 4)

Ex Machina: If An A.I. Were A Woman (Women & Men in the Movies No. 3)

The post Avengers: Infinity War – Women Talk, Men Talk More, & Everyone Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 7) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

The Story

A powerful computer network sends a cyborg back from the future to kill John Connor, the leader of the humans who defeat it, when he’s a boy. The human resistance sends back its own cyborg to protect him. It’s a reprogrammed older model that tried to kill John’s mother before he was born.

I watched the “Extreme” edition, which has some extra footage.

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a (named) female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

Who’s Talking To Whom

As in Ex Machina and Terminator, I’ll refer to machines designed to look like a particular gender as being characters of that gender.

Women to Women:

Sarah Connor says one line to the wife of Miles Dyson (a computer programmer):

• Sarah tells her to get on the floor

No named female character talks to any other named female character.

Men To Men:

The good Terminator (which is how I’ll refer to the reprogrammed Terminator sent to protect John Connor) and John talk about many things, including:

• How the good Terminator works
• Its mission
• Following John’s instructions
• The evil Terminator
• Strategy
• John’s foster parents
• Sarah, including saving her
• Not shooting people
• Injuries to others
• What crying is
• How Terminator can blend in
• Human nature
• John’s childhood years learning to fight
• Other people thinking Sarah is crazy
• Emotions
• Fear of dying
• The mission
• Guys Sarah dated
• John’s real dad and the back story from The Terminator
• Time travel

John also talks one-on-one to many named and unnamed side characters, including a friend his age, Todd (his stepfather), unnamed guys who try to harass him, and Danny (Miles Dyson’s son), about:

• John’s foster parents
• Stealing cash from ATM
• Sarah and that she’s “psycho” and blew up computer factory
• Insults
• Where John’s not supposed to be
• Danny going to his room

The good Terminator talks to bikers in a bar and an unnamed security guard on different topics, including:

• Clothes, boots
• Taking a motorcycle
• Visiting hours

The evil Terminator, posing as Janelle (John’s foster mom) talks to John about:

• Where John is
• Dinner
• The dog

The evil Terminator also talks with a biker cop, a helicopter pilot, a truck driver, and John’s friend separately about:

• Getting out of the way
• Whether he’s all right
• Where John is
• A motorcycle

Miles Dyson, who is key to designing what will become Skynet, talks with an unnamed man, a security guard, and a police officer separately about:

• The Terminator arm (from last movie)
• Dyson’s wife and kids
• The detonator he’s holding

Women And Men:

Sarah talks to Dr. Silberman (the psychologist) about:

• Injuring him
• Sarah’s dream of children burning
• Seeing John
• When the world will end
• When she can be transferred to minimum security and have visitors
• Terminators
• Her diagnosis and “delusions”

Sarah talks to Kyle Reese from the first movie in a dream (he holds her while she weeps) about:

• John being a target
• Kyle will always be with her

John and Sarah talk one-on-one about:

• The good Terminator being there to help
• How John shouldn’t have come for her
• Sarah didn’t need John’s help
• Whether or not to “kill” the good Terminator
• John coming to Miles Dyson’s home to stop her
• Sarah loves John

Sarah, John, and the good Terminator talk together about:

• Ammunition
• The Terminator’s abilities, including to learn
• Whether John is okay
• Terminator’s knowledge of anatomy
• Terminator’s life span
• How Terminator works
• Miles Dyson
• Cyberdyne
• How the war starts
• Getting away from the evil Terminator
• Driving
• John urges Sarah, who is injured, to get up
• Whether the evil Terminator is dead
• Why the good Terminator has to be destroyed

The good Terminator and Sarah talk once one-on-one:

• Terminator says “Come with me if you want to live”

The evil Terminator talks once one-on-one to Sarah:

• Tells her to call out to John

Sarah also talks to Dougie (a male orderly), to male and female guards, to an unnamed male driver, and to male police officers (along with Dr. Silberman):

• Medication (she tries to refuse)
• Threatening Silberman
• Sarah’s escape
• Terminator spotted
• John

Miles Dyson and his wife talk about:

• His work
• Taking kids to amusement park
• The neural net processor he’s designing
• Their kids and marriage

Dyson’s wife and Danny (their son) talk about:

• Going to bed

Sarah and Miles talk one-on-one about:

• Skynet
• War in the future

Miles, the good Terminator, Miles’ wife, Danny, and John talk about:

• Whether Sarah is hurt
• Miles’ wound
• The war
• Terminators
• Sarah rants about men like Miles building the hydrogen bomb and knowing nothing about creating a life the way women do
• Changing the future
• Destroying Cyberdyne

Janelle (John’s foster mom) and Todd (foster dad) talk about:

• How difficult John is

Dr. Silberman talks with unnamed doctors and staff (men and women) about:

• Sarah’s diagnosis
• Her “delusion” about Terminators, Reese, the war, etc.
• Escape attempts, Sarah stabbing him

The evil Terminator talks to Todd and Janelle, to two girls, and to two women at the mental health facility about:

• Finding John and/or Sarah

An unnamed man and woman at mental health facility talk about:

• Coffee

Sarah and Enrique (a revolutionary) talk about:

• He should get out of country
• His truck

Enrique, Jolanda (his wife or partner), the good Terminator, John, and Sarah talk about:

• Cops looking for Sarah
• Things Sarah left with Enrique

(Sarah and Jolanda hug but don’t say anything audible to one another.)

Miles, Sarah, John, the good Terminator, and others at Cyberdyne (including Carl Gibbons, a security guard) talk about:

• Excuses to get in
• Alarms triggered
• Getting to the chip
• Gas masks
• Police
• The detonator

Sarah Voiceover

Sarah does several voiceovers, talking about:

• The war against machines
• Terminators sent back in time to try to strike at Sarah and John
• Someone sent to protect John
• Good Terminator was best “would be” father because it would always be there
• It would die to protect John
• Summary of what the good Terminator told Miles
• The unknown future
• The value of human life

Conclusion

Not only do no named female character talk to each other about anything other than a man, none talk to each other at all. I counted only one line spoken from a woman to another woman, when Sarah tells Miles Dyson’s wife, whose name I never heard, to get down.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day fails the Bechdel Test.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp without affecting the plot?)

John drives the first part of the story, as he orders the Terminator to help him rescue Sarah from a prison/mental ward.

But Sarah moves the plot forward once she’s freed. The team relies on her stored weapons and provisions. She hones in on Miles Dyson, who is working on what will become Skynet. Sarah takes off on her own to deal with him and is key to every plot development afterwards.

Conclusion

Sarah, the only significant female character, cannot be replaced with a sexy lamp. Terminator 2: Judgment Day passes.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

Sarah’s story is entwined with John’s because he’s the one the evil Terminator is trying to kill and he’s the future leader of the resistance. But she does have a narrative arc about saving the world.

She gets a lot of help from John and the good Terminator. You could argue that she is helping them, not the other way around, but she does enough that I think she has her own arc.

Sarah also experiences some limited character growth. In the beginning she expresses nothing but anger at John for risking himself and concern about his value to the world. At the end, she expresses her feelings of love for him.

Conclusion

Terminator 2: Judgment Day passes the Mako Mori Test.

Quick Results

Bechdel:  Fails

Sexy Lamp:  Passes 

Mako Mori:  Passes

Did I Like It

Terminator 2: Judgment Day has never worked as well for me as the original movie.

In The Terminator I loved seeing Sarah grow from a somewhat inept waitress who is frightened and disbelieving into a woman who, though she has no special skills, fights with every ounce of strength she has.

If you love action heroes, though, you might well like T2 better. Sarah’s buff, she fights more, she handles weapons well. Setting The Terminator aside, she’s more active than women in almost all movies of the time period.

But she has little in the way of character growth. And though she drives part of the story, she literally (in one scene) and figuratively takes a back seat to John and the good Terminator.

Also, I loved The Terminator in part because it was so tightly plotted.

In contrast (as I note in Super Simple Story Structure), who the protagonist of the movie is becomes a bit muddled. It potentially could be John or the good Terminator or Sarah.

Also, that so many men talk to one another and so many male walk on characters get names (such as Dougie, the orderly; Gibbons, the security guard; and Danny, Miles’ son) while no named woman character talks to another named woman character even once bugs me. There’s no reason I can think of that the same attention to detail couldn’t have gone into the women characters. That it didn’t distracted me as I watched and rewatched.

Finally, Terminator 2: Judgment Day shows Sarah as so hardened by incarceration and her struggles that she has little compassion left for her son as a person. Yes, we see her distraught at dreams of children, including him, burning.

But when she interacts with him she seems cold and almost irrational despite that we know her fears are real. The only reason I still empathized with her was that I loved her in the first movie.

Coming Soon

Avengers: Infinity War. I’ve never seen it, and I’m really looking forward to it.

You might also like:

The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women, Men, and Movies No. 5)

Ex Machina: If An A.I. Were A Woman (Women & Men in the Movies No. 3)

The post Terminator 2: Sarah, Action Hero, But… (Women & Men in the Movies No. 6) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

The Story

A young woman, Sarah Connor, must flee from and ultimately fight a cyborg from the future intent on killing her.

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a named female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

Who’s Talking To Whom

As in the discussion of Ex Machina, where I referred to an A.I. designed as female as a woman, I’ll refer to the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a man.

Women To Women:

Our hero, Sarah Connor, and unnamed female restaurant coworkers talk about:

• Sarah being late
• Who will care about a bad work day in 100 years (a little foreshadowing)
• A news story about a different Sarah Connor being shot and killed

Sarah and her roommate, Ginger, talk mostly about men and cover these topics:

• Ginger’s boyfriend
• How they look before going out with their dates
• Sarah’s pet lizard
• Sarah’s date, who cancels on her
• Sarah going to a movie

Sarah talks to an unnamed female door person about:

• Using the pay phone (remember those?)
• The cover charge

Men To Men:

In the first spoken words of The Terminator, an unnamed male driver talks to himself when he sees what looks like a naked man appear in the midst of lightning.

Unnamed male punk rockers talk to each other about:

• A naked man approaching them

The Terminator talks to many unnamed male characters, including the punk rockers, a hotel guest, a gun shop clerk, a phone booth occupant, an intake officer at the police station, and a hotel clerk, about:

• The Terminator being naked
• Clothes
• The rotting smell from his room
• Guns and how they work
• The Terminator’s attitude
• Wanting to see Sarah
• “I’ll be back” (the classic line)
• The hotel address

An unnamed drunken man in an alley talks to himself, to Kyle Reese (who has come from the future to help protect Sarah), and to policemen about:

• Bright lights
• Reese stealing his pants

Policemen talk to Reese about:

• Trying to get him to stop running
• The date and year

One unnamed policeman also talks to another about Reese having his gun.

Lieutenant Ed and Detective Hal (who I don’t think ever has his name spoken), talk briefly to the press (to say No Comment) and talk to each other about:

• Two Sarah Connors being dead
• Reaching the remaining Sarah
• Using press/TV to reach out to her
• How they look
• Reese’s story

Reese and Dr. Silberman, a (male) psychologist, talk about:

• Future war
• A computer defense system
• The machines’ plan to kill Sarah
• Time travel
• The Terminator
• Reese’s mission
• That Reese can’t go back to his own time
• Weapons
• The Terminator will keep going until it kills Sarah

Max, Ginger’s boyfriend, tells the Terminator “Don’t make me bust you up.”

Reese speaks one line to the Terminator at the end to tell him to “Come on.”

Women And Men:

Sarah talks to male customers and a bartender about:

• Food orders
• Complaints about poor service
• Not touching the TV (when a news story about a second Sarah Connor’s death plays)

The Terminator talks to the first Sarah Connor he visits to confirm her name.

Max, Ginger’s boyfriend, talks to Sarah on the phone about:

• Sex (when he thinks Ginger answered)
• An apology (when he realizes it’s Sarah)

Max talks to Ginger when she gets on the phone about:

• Sex (same words he said to Sarah)

Sarah and Lt. Ed, Det. Hal, and Dr. Silberman talk about:

• Sarah being followed
• Where Sarah is
• Ginger’s death
• Whether Reese is crazy
• What Reese told her
• Reese being deluded and/or on PCP
• Trying to sleep
• Her mother
• The many cops in the police station

Sarah and Reese talked the most, including about:

• Reese’s line, another classic: “Come with me if you want to live”
• Whether she’s hurt
• Doing what Reese says
• Reese is there to protect her
• Sarah’s targeted for termination
• Cyborgs from future
• Reese being from the future
• What a terminator is and whether Reese can stop it
• Nuclear war
• The defense network and machines
• How John Connor led the resistance to the machines
• Time travel
• Reese’s injuries
• What John is like
• That Sarah’s a legend
• A message for Sarah from John
• Fighting machines in the future
• Reese’s childhood
• Explosives
• Reese’s love for Sarah
• What women are like in his time
• Dealing with emotional pain
• Continuing to fight

The Terminator and Sarah talk about:

• Where Sarah is (when he’s pretending to be her mom)
• That they love each other (when he’s pretending to be her mom)
• Sarah tells him he’s terminated

Sarah, a boy who takes her photo, and a gas station attendant talk about:

• the photo
• how much she’ll pay for it
• a storm coming

People and Machines

People talk to machines in addition to the Terminator, including Sarah talking to her and Ginger’s answering machine to ask for Ginger’s help, which tips the Terminator to where she is, and Sarah talking to a tape recorder in the end in a message to her unborn son.

Conclusion

A lizard and Sarah’s offhand mention of going to a movie save The Terminator from failing the Bechdel Test.

That the film barely passes surprised me. I’ve watched it many times. In my memory, it passed right away because of Sarah’s conversation with her coworkers about the other Sarah Connor’s death. But we never hear that coworker’s name. I also had not remembered how much of her conversation with her roommate was about men.

I also noticed on this watch how many more unnamed characters are men and how much more often men talk with other men (named or unnamed) than do women.

Still, Ginger and Sarah do talk about Pugsley, the lizard who, while male, probably doesn’t count as a man for purposes of the test. Go Pugsley.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp without affecting the plot?)

Despite that Reese is sent to protect her, he is not the protagonist. (In a different movie, one I would never have been interested in, he probably would have been.)

Sarah’s choices for better or worse drive the story. Had she been a sexy lamp, Reese would have found her and spirited her away. When the Terminator tracked them down, Reese alone would have had to fight and the outcome would have been far different.

Our other named female character (yes there is only one other), Ginger, plays a small role. But she influences the plot.

She is sympathetic when Sarah’s date cancels and supportive when Sarah decides to go out alone. That decision means Sarah’s not there when the Terminator arrives. Also, Ginger’s struggle to survive brings the Terminator into the living room when Sarah calls, which is why he hears her talk to the answering machine.

So while Ginger doesn’t make a huge difference in the plot, I think it’s enough.

Conclusion

The Terminator passes the Sexy Lamp Test.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

Sarah goes from struggling in her work as a waitress (who says she can’t balance her checkbook) to a woman who fights first alongside Reese and then alone to defeat the Terminator.

In a way her storyline supports a man’s—specifically that of her future son, John Connor. Reese says Sarah is a legend for training John to fight and preparing him for the war. Also, the machines send the Terminator to kill her specifically to keep John from being born.

The larger point, though, is to save the world and the future, and the story revolves around Sarah.

Conclusion

Sarah has her own narrative arc that drives the movie. The Terminator passes the Mako Mori Test.

Quick Results

Bechdel:                    BP (barely passes)

Sexy Lamp:                P

Mako Mori:               P

Did I Like It

The Terminator is my favorite movie of all time. (Check out the Reel Chat podcast for an in depth, fun conversation among filmmakers about it.) I love how circumstances force Sarah into an impossible situation and she rises to the occasion. Her growth is gradual and believable.

While I was disappointed The Terminator didn’t do better on the Bechdel Test, for a 1984 action film it’s less surprising that few women talk to each other and more surprising that Sarah is the protagonist.

While initially a target/victim, she takes every step she can to protect herself.

When she sees the news story in a bar and grill, she tries to call the police. When she can’t get through, she goes out among people and later into a crowded club where she’s more likely to be safe. She follows Reese’s advice when the Terminator is pursuing, but when things are quieter she reevaluates to decide what makes sense.

She accepts the explanations the police give at first because they’re logical and more plausible than Reese’s. But when later events prove Reese is telling the truth, she throws all in with him, learning as much as she can as quickly as possible. And when she’s alone, she fights as hard as she can despite serious injuries and intense fear.

She’s a strong, sympathetic woman hero, and the story is tightly plotted and exciting.

Next Week’s Film

Terminator 2: Judgment Day. What else?

You might also like:

Annihilation: Five Women And The Unknown (Women, Men, and Movies No. 4)

Ex Machina: If An A.I. Were A Woman (Women, Men, and Movies No. 3)

The post The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 5) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.

(Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.)

The Story

Annihilation was written and directed by Alex Garland, who also wrote and directed last week’s movie Ex Machina.

In Annihilation, Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist and professor grieving the disappearance/ presumed death of her husband on a secret military mission.

In an effort to help him, Lena joins a team of women going into the Shimmer, a sort of force field that surrounds a jungle-like area.

Previous attempts to penetrate it with drones, animals, or military men have failed. Inside, everything is both beautiful and dangerous.

Chasing Bechdel

(Does a (named) female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?)

Who’s Talking To Whom

Women To Women:

Lena’s first conversation with Dr. Ventress (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) is mainly about Lena’s husband, Kane, but topics they cover in all conversations include:

• How Lena feels physically
• Lena’s military service and current work
• What Lena’s husband, Kane, said about the mission
• How Kane got back from the Shimmer
• Why Lena stopped contacting Kane’s unit for information
• What Lena knew about Kane’s mission
• Kane being extremely ill
• What Kane might have been exposed to
• How Lena could help Kane
• Theories about Shimmer and when and where it started
• People, animals, drones sent into Shimmer that haven’t returned
• The Shimmer’s growth and threat to the earth
• Kane dying, and Lena wanting to stay with him
• Lena not telling rest of crew about being married to Kane
• Why Ventress is going into Shimmer
• Maps and routes through Shimmer
• Why Kane volunteered for “suicide mission”
• Suicide versus self-destruction and biology versus psychology
• What the Shimmer wants

Lena and the other crew members (Anya, Kass, and Josie) talk together about:

• Their careers and why they volunteered to go into the Shimmer
• Ventress
• Previous teams
• Theories about the Shimmer
• Kane being the only one to get out
• Missing food and provisions
• Time and memory loss
• Plants, animals, and mutations in the Shimmer
• Lena’s military background
• Video left for them by previous crew (including Kane)
• Being scared
• Whether to go back when one of them is killed
• Ventress’ determination to go to lighthouse inside the Shimmer
• Radio and light waves
• The Shimmer refracting DNA
• Lena not having told the rest of the crew at the beginning that Kane is her husband

Josie and Lena also talk about:

• How long Kane was in the Shimmer
• Whether Kane was still intact when got out
• Refractions
• Their DNA/blood changing

Men To Men:

In a video Kane talks to a second person who looks like Kane about:

• Whether he is Kane anymore or ever was
• His flesh moving, and his mind feeling cut loose
• Finding Lena

Women And Men:

Lomax, an official, grills Lena about what happened in the Shimmer in scenes that wraparound and cut in between the action in the Shimmer. The two talk about:

• What Lena ate while inside, how long she was in
• What happened to the other crew members
• Why she went in
• Mutations in Shimmer, how mutations work, whether she hallucinated
• Why Lena lied to the crew about her reasons for going on
• Ventress’ reasons for going on in Shimmer
• Why Lena’s the only one who came back
• Whether the Shimmer was alien or wanted anything
• A seeming alien that mirrored Lena
• Whether the Shimmer was destroying or changing the world
• What happened at the lighthouse in the Shimmer

Lena and Dan, a colleague, talk about:

• An invitation to a garden party held by Dan and his wife
• Lena painting her bedroom
• Kane’s disappearance
• Their affair
• Kane’s work
• Lena hating herself and Dan for the affair

Lena and Kane talk about:

• His mission and his unit
• How he got back and how long he was gone
• God
• The life of cells
• What she does when he’s gone
• Loving each other
• Who he is

Conclusion

Annihilation passes, as while many of the conversations women have with other women are about Lena’s husband they also talk about a lot of other topics.

Women v. Sexy Lamps

(can a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp and the plot still works)

Both Lena and Dr. Ventress are driving forces in the story.

Ventress because she’s determined to understand the Shimmer and see it to the end; Lena because she wants to help her husband. Neither is merely an object for a man to obsess over or seek to possess.

A couple of the women on the crew felt interchangeable with one another. Even on second watching, I had a hard time tracking which was which.

But none could be replaced with a sexy lamp.

Conclusion

For all the named female characters, Annihilation passes.

Mako Mori

(does a female character have her own narrative arc that does not support a man’s story line?)

This test is tougher.

Lena displays professional and intellectual curiosity about the animals and plants in the Shimmer, yet it’s clear her main goal is to help her husband. A mix of love for and guilt about him motivate her. I also question whether Lena has a character arc, as she doesn’t seem to evolve or change.

All the same, it is her story, not a narrative arc merely supporting Kane’s story. She starts unsure what happened to her husband, decides to enter the Shimmer to find out, and perseveres despite tremendous obstacles.

In addition, Dr. Ventress has a story arc.

Ventress has studied the Shimmer and sent many crews in, only to lose almost everyone. She has a deep need to understand the Shimmer. She, too, chooses to enter and to persevere until she finds answers.

Conclusion

Annihilation passes the Mako Mori test.

Quick Results:

Bechdel:  Pass

Sexy Lamp:  Pass

Mako Mori:  Pass

Did I Like It

What I liked most and what I found less engaging flipped in my two viewings of Annihilation.

On first watch in the theater I felt a sense of wonder at everything in the Shimmer. I identified with Lena’s amazement at what she found. The suspense of what happened to the previous crews and how Kane got out kept me riveted.

The ending, though, I found dissatisfying. It seemed more like oddity for the sake of oddity. It also felt like it left off in the middle, providing no answers.

On rewatching so I could write this entry, I felt a bit bored by the very parts that had engaged me before. The suspense was gone, and unlike with last week’s movie, Ex Machina, I didn’t find more layers in the first three quarters of the movie or achieve insights I didn’t have before.

The end, though, I found more compelling.

For one thing, I felt I had a better sense of what the ending meant and how the film resolved–or at least engaged in depth with–certain questions. I also appreciated the unanswered questions more, as they seemed to fit a theme of the effects of growth, change, and evolution.

As to female characters specifically, despite that Annihilation passes all three tests, on both viewings I kept wondering whether the characters’ stories would be told differently if they were male, which drew me out of the story.

For instance, Lena states she survived the Shimmer because she had to for her husband because she “owed” him.

Why can’t she survive because she’s tough and goddamned determined to? The way the character’s drawn, I would have believed that with no problem, so making her say she had to get back because of her husband just distracted me.

Similarly, Ventress says her reason for going in is the number of teams she’s sent who have not returned. She wants to stop sitting on the sidelines and sending other people to die. Yet the film later undercuts that in a couple ways, including stressing that she has no friends or family and giving her a backstory that means she has nothing to lose. That makes her far less interesting.

The other crew members also each have a tragic backstory or psychological issue mentioned just once. I felt like the filmmakers threw in the explanations because, hey, women wouldn’t just go do something heroic because it’s the right thing to do, or because they want answers, they need to have some trauma because, well, X chromosomes.

Also, yay that on the one hand Annihilation is the flip of most movies in that it includes tons of conversations among only women and only one man-to-man section of dialogue.

But, sadly, almost half the woman-to-woman dialogue is about Lena’s husband. It’s hard to imagine a five-man crew in a similar movie would spend half the time talking about one of the crewman’s wives (despite that female characters seem to exist in most movies solely to be terrorized by one man and saved by another).

Despite my qualms, though, I found a lot more to like than not. The mix of intriguing concept, action, and psychological suspense plus Natalie Portman’s performance made it worth watching.

Next Week’s Film

Sci Fi/thriller classic and my favorite movie of all time The Terminator.

The post Annihilation: Five Women And The Unknown (Women & Men in the Movies No. 4) appeared first on Lisa Lilly.