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Three Times Two

Women rule the world. Hillary may have lost, but strong women will rule the world. Mark my words.

Strong women especially fictional strong women, like strong men, are independent, brave and militant. They don’t comply with demands and situations which obviously are incorrect, unjust or wrong. They never take a subservient, second rate position of their sex for granted. They don’t give in to threats and oppression. In stead they outwit the opponents or face these problems even if it looks like at the outset they don’t stand a chance. They differ from men in that they have to rely more on intelligence and perseverance than on physical power. In other words: Grrrrrlpower is mainly mental power. That’s, in my perception, the image movie directors seem to create of strong women.

Here are six examples I admire. Two from each of three different parts of the world.

The American version: to face criminal violence.

Typically the American heroines of my choice defeat mafia and gangsters. In “Gloria” (Gena Rowlands,1980, directed by John Cassavetes) she, herself an ex-mistress of a criminal, cunningly saves the young son of her neighbour from being killed by hit men. Marge in “Fargo” (Frances McDormand, 1996, Ethan and Joel Coen) solves majestically and calmly an abduction and prevents an attempted murder.

The message in both cases seem to be that in a violent community at least women keep their cool. Men fuck up, women clean up. Neither Marge (although a police officer by profession) nor Gloria (who gets a formidable responsibility forced upon her by sheer bad luck) is interested in heroism. Their real life is elsewhere. Marge is pregnant and primarily a wife and mother. Gloria really wants a decent, quiet life after all the excitement of living with the mob. So, it’s more like: a woman just does what she’s got to do and never mind. And although their lives are at stake, they manage to confront evil and win.

American society is tough. You need women who are able to resort to toughness if necessary, to make it habitable. To protect ordinary people from evil. The best part of the film industry fortunately invented ladies like Gloria and Marge to provide fictional protection. It’s up to real life to do the same.

The Middle East version: to face gender oppression.
In the merry “Offside” (Sima Mobarak-Shahi, 2006, Jafar Jahani) and the extraordinary graphic movie (too good by far to call it animation) “Persepolis” (2006, Marjane Safrani & Vincent Paronnaud) the leading characters succeed in creating space for themselves in a suffocating society.

Iran is an interesting case. The country is living through a complicated political phase. On the one hand the religious orthodoxy puts all kinds of limits on freedom. There’s an inherent sexism in the system. But at the same time creativity is booming, at least in the film industry. Both leading ladies, the autobiographic Marjane and the “First Girl” (that’s what she’s called in the credits) show this apparent paradox: they conquer their rights by weak but witty female power. Be it only in a limited way.

In “Offside” some young female soccer fans want to attend to a match by the national Iranian squad, although female attendance is forbidden by law. The “First Girl” tries in vain to lead the military guards and police around the bush by dressing up as a boy. However, just like quite a few of her partners in distress, she gets arrested. And is held in custody at the Azadi stadium. Yet the girls stay in control in one way or another. The dialogues among themselves and with their guards, as well as the female tricks they play on them, are proof of their mental power and spiritual freedom. They succeed in making the soldiers i ( and by proxy of the authorities of course) into a the laughing stock. And their claim of male superiority as well.

“Persepolis” is peculiar, exceptional and wonderful. The story of the coming of age -in disturbing and revolutionary times- of a well to do Iranian girl from a family with a fairly liberal background. The movie is a gem. And so is the opinionated, artistic, emotional, smart, righteous juvenile called Marjane. Against the odds of Chomeiny and his followers she sticks to her convictions about wrong and right even as a small girl. And in spite of the reality of war and oppression she manages to keep her perception of Teheran ( and Iran at large) as a metropolis like any other. By this attitude she is able to maintain her own integrity. By comparison her experiences in exile (Vienna, Austria) are much more intense.

The Marjane of the movie and “First Girl” will not be subdued. They resist and revolt by peaceful mini resistance and peaceful mini revolts. They change the system from within- inch by inch. Stretching the limits, looking for the loopholes, bending the rules and never giving in. The heroines of gender equality where it really matters.

The European version: to face divine injustice.
My favorite strong European women are starring in Medea (Maria Callas, 1970, by director Pier Paolo Pasolini) and “Breaking the waves” (1996, by Lars von Trier). They demonstrate the metaphysical strength of female power when it comes to love. Gods and men beware!

Medea was portrayed nearly 2500 years ago by the Greek playwright Euripedes. The Italian director Pasolini adapted the play for his movie. He persuaded the famous opera singer Maria Callas to play the part of Medea.

The mythical Medea is the icon of revenge. Because she was a granddaughter of the God Helios, she could work miracles. With the help of this talent , Jason, the man she had fallen madly in love with, was able to obtain the Golden Fleece which he was after. In his interest she even committed murder. But after this had happened she had to go in exile with him. When he ultimately cheated on her, betrayed her and announced he had decided to leave her to marry the King’s daughter, she didn’t accept this divine fate as she was supposed to do. On the contrary. She took revenge by robbing her husband from his dearest treasures: she killed both their sons and poisoned his new bride to be. By committing a double filicide she did the unthinkable: she broke the most serious taboos. And in that way challenged and defied Zeus, the Greek Super God. The divine order trembled.

The very religious Bess in “Breaking the Waves” also manages to shake the divine order. But not in a defiant way. Rather by sacrificing herself. In her case it’s a challenge in reverse. One which must make heaven doubt the justice of its own horrifying divine order.

The man she is passionately and totally in love with, Jan, has a terrible accident. He will be paralyzed for life. Thinking this tragedy was a punishment for her sins, she goes to the extreme to change the predicted disaster. By suffering, by humiliation, by sacrificing her reputation, her health, her future and even her life, she hopes to get a benevolent Divine intervention to cure her husband. Actually in the end even heaven can’t stand the power of this woman in love. Although she dies, God gives in to her wish: Jan recovers.

It’s a melodrama. But a superb one.

My interpretation is that the European strong women are the ones who can bring about metaphysical changes. That is: in cinema. They, in a way represent humanism. No apathy, no compliance, no devout bowing of the head when catastrophe and injustice strike you. You are on your own, you are responsible for yourself and you have to act. Even in the domain of the Gods.

Funny

Isn’t it remarkable?

American directors cast their strong women to neutralize destabilizing phenomena in society.
Iranian directors use them to change an obviously unfair society.
European directors make them into spiritual liberators.

Intriguing .