I will point out that it appears that the daughter's emotional committee is made up of both male-like and female-like people. She's a composite of her parents. We'll see, but I like the concept.
Vika Zafrin I loved it. I use an incredibly similar way of working with my clients, and although I agree that the representations are sexist, well... So are the inside voices for so many of us. That's why we shove them them into the basement with duct tape over their mouths, sometimes. In that light, I was charmed by the fair, loving representation of the internal circuses of the characters.
Although I know, this is a movie made for entertainment, not for the geeky delight of mental health professionals or IFS clients. And in terms of keeping sexism off the screen, yes. I agree.
So, the trailer in the theaters just focused on the committee inside the girl, and I was excited to see it. The full trailer made that decision more complex, for all the reasons above and the fact that the girl's committee is made of male-like and female-like entities, but each parent has only one gender represented, I think? So, if she's a composite of her parents, then aren't her parents a composite of their parents and should also be multi-gendered? Unless they're going to get into why she does and they don't (and wouldn't that be a thing?!?) The internal logic inconsistency might keep me out of the theater and waiting for video, if nothing else did.
Michel Fitos - my compelling reason for seeing it was what you commented on, so I still might, with all the caveats ever. Argh, conflicted!
Argh - good reasons both to see and not ... But for me, casting also matters in the debate, and this gives majority voice to female actors including Amy Poehler who is one of Hollywood's most awesome feminists. So ... I will support it.
It seems perfectly reasonable to me that a child would have pieces of their parents floating around in their head but that their parents had mostly reorganized as a new identity.
Jennifer Koerber There are theories of the daughter either being at the age of not being completely bought on stereotypes/Gender roles though i kind of like the idea that she hasn't yet built her full identity yet and the variation in male-like /female-like emotions just comes to show that aspect of her. Come to think of it... All of the mother's emotions seem female, yes, But they all seem to be in the "same page" so to speak. They all have glasses and look like the mother because she has already constructed her identity and thus everything she does (and the control on her emotions) are linked entirely towards what she thinks, wishes, etc. Look at the father and you get a similar case of all wearing mustaches and trying to work together towards the same goal. Look at the daughter's emotions... they all seem so different from each other and i don't mean complexion/color. They are also not organized and struggling to lead on their own whims. If we were to ask the characters who they are, pretty sure the mother would be all for "I am an understanding mother who keeps the family together" blah, blah, so on. While the father would say something on "I am the authority and work on preventing disasters like this by putting down the foot". Ask the daughter however and chances are she wouldn't even know what to reply, stumble on her words, so on and so forth. Just food for thought though, i might be completely on the wrong here.
Wow. I WAS going to see this, but the trailer is sexist enough that I might just avoid it. Seriously?
ReplyDeleteVika Zafrin it's simultaneously good and stereotypical. I think I will muster through the bad bits for the good bits.
ReplyDeleteI will point out that it appears that the daughter's emotional committee is made up of both male-like and female-like people. She's a composite of her parents. We'll see, but I like the concept.
ReplyDeleteVika Zafrin I loved it. I use an incredibly similar way of working with my clients, and although I agree that the representations are sexist, well... So are the inside voices for so many of us. That's why we shove them them into the basement with duct tape over their mouths, sometimes. In that light, I was charmed by the fair, loving representation of the internal circuses of the characters.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I know, this is a movie made for entertainment, not for the geeky delight of mental health professionals or IFS clients. And in terms of keeping sexism off the screen, yes. I agree.
So, the trailer in the theaters just focused on the committee inside the girl, and I was excited to see it. The full trailer made that decision more complex, for all the reasons above and the fact that the girl's committee is made of male-like and female-like entities, but each parent has only one gender represented, I think? So, if she's a composite of her parents, then aren't her parents a composite of their parents and should also be multi-gendered? Unless they're going to get into why she does and they don't (and wouldn't that be a thing?!?) The internal logic inconsistency might keep me out of the theater and waiting for video, if nothing else did.
ReplyDeleteMichel Fitos - my compelling reason for seeing it was what you commented on, so I still might, with all the caveats ever. Argh, conflicted!
Nnnnnnngggggghhhhh I want to write about this really badly now!
ReplyDeleteinorite?!?!
ReplyDeleteArgh - good reasons both to see and not ... But for me, casting also matters in the debate, and this gives majority voice to female actors including Amy Poehler who is one of Hollywood's most awesome feminists. So ... I will support it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems perfectly reasonable to me that a child would have pieces of their parents floating around in their head but that their parents had mostly reorganized as a new identity.
ReplyDeleteI would not be surprised if we saw a cameo appearance by one of the grandparents inside the parents' heads.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Koerber
ReplyDeleteThere are theories of the daughter either being at the age of not being completely bought on stereotypes/Gender roles though i kind of like the idea that she hasn't yet built her full identity yet and the variation in male-like /female-like emotions just comes to show that aspect of her.
Come to think of it... All of the mother's emotions seem female, yes, But they all seem to be in the "same page" so to speak. They all have glasses and look like the mother because she has already constructed her identity and thus everything she does (and the control on her emotions) are linked entirely towards what she thinks, wishes, etc.
Look at the father and you get a similar case of all wearing mustaches and trying to work together towards the same goal.
Look at the daughter's emotions... they all seem so different from each other and i don't mean complexion/color. They are also not organized and struggling to lead on their own whims.
If we were to ask the characters who they are, pretty sure the mother would be all for "I am an understanding mother who keeps the family together" blah, blah, so on. While the father would say something on "I am the authority and work on preventing disasters like this by putting down the foot".
Ask the daughter however and chances are she wouldn't even know what to reply, stumble on her words, so on and so forth.
Just food for thought though, i might be completely on the wrong here.