A Spectacular Opening Night

A screening of Nick Ryan’s The Summit took place in High Peak Cavern, Castleton, a rural suburb of Sheffield. The serene surroundings were a stark contrast to the treacherous trip to the top of K2 depicted in the film, via talking heads, re-enactment and found footage. Inside the cave, there was an air of trepidation and excitement about events documented in the film. Upon leaving, the audience was in a more somber mood, as people chatted amongst themselves about the dangers of climbing and the attitudes you adopt for survival in such extreme conditions.

Opening Night Salute To Sheffield

The winner has now been announced as the joyful Rafea: Solar Mama and I’m glad such a positive film is receiving the award. I had an emotional reaction to many of the films but Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim’s documentary had a triumphant quality to it that completely charmed me. Rafea, the subject of this documentary, is an illiterate Bedouin woman who was given the chance to study in India to become an electrical engineer. She happily takes on the task but finds it difficult to leave her children behind under the care of her lazy louse of a husband who is determined to quash her ambition. Rafea is an inspiration as she battles between her emotions and a desire to take control of her life, and furthermore improve her village’s way of life, through education. On meeting the other women on her course, she strikes up instant bonds as they support and help each other despite not even being able to speak the same language. It’s a beautiful thing to behold. Rafea is a shining example of radical feminism in action in Jordan.

Other films that sparked an interest and I thought were brilliant included Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel that looks at the life of Kevin Pearce who suffered from brain damage after a catastrophic snowboarding accident. His passion for the sport led him to being chosen to be a part of the Vancouver Olympics team, unfortunately disaster struck before he could compete. Firstly Walker has constructed the documentary extremely well, piecing together found footage to tell Kevin’s story pre and post-accident. And secondly Walker looks at the effect Kevin’s accident has had not only on him but those around him. The most touching moments come from family discussions around the dinner table. Walker has once again put together a comprehensive, good looking and extremely moving film.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite‘s tense documentary thriller, Blackfish, is a psychological study of a whale named Tilikum who has been responsible for the death of at least three people including a SeaWorld trainer. Cowperthwaite explores the effects of captivity on animals and points to the obvious ethical issues raised with treating them as a circus show. There’s a certain naivety to some of the workers, and they look back with shame at what they’ve done, though there is a level of sympathy evoked due to those higher up hiding information from their employees. One astonishing scene involves a trainer repeatedly being pulled under the water by a whale. You’ll feel yourself taking a deep breath for him every time he surfaces – it’s heart in mouth, immersive and compelling viewing at times.

Marta Cunningham delves deep into the headline grabbing story of a school shooting in Oxnard, California where 14 year old Brandon McInerney killed 15 year old Larry King with her debut documentary Valentine Road. Cunningham exposes small-mindedness in the US and charts the events that led up to the shooting. She doesn’t stop there though, presenting a case against the attitudes that fuel hatred towards those who are different, with an emphasis on homophobia and racism. “He was asking for it” a phrase laced with ignorance is voiced by a few – suggesting that Larry King – due to the fact that he was not only proud of his cross dressing but dared to be happy and sassy in it too – deserved to die for simply being himself. The back stories to both of these boys have sad similarities and it’s a gloomy state of affairs that their differences led to such vile consequences. Intolerance is taught rather than acceptance, and Cunningham in trying to make her point tells both sides of the story.

Giedre Zickyte transports you back to 1980s Lithuania with footage of the band Antis who sparked an independence movement in the country through trickery, smarts and music. How We Played the Revolution is an inspiring, witty and exceptionally well documented look at this shifting period. Antis fronted as Soviet- endorsed but through their lyrics and attire mocked those in power. Peaceful protests of people holding hands along the highways are juxtaposed with harsh military retaliation against a nation standing up for independence. You can only admire Antis for being brave enough to put themselves out there. Music and art as motivation in a country that wasn’t allowed to be proud for a very long time is rousing viewing to say the least.

Eva Orner’s The Network is a fascinating look at the burgeoning broadcast media industry in Afghanistan. Orner explores how media is shaping and shaped by its population. Karri Anne Moe happened upon tragedy whilst making her film about Norwegian youth politicians preparing for the 2011 election in Bravehearts. During filming the Utoya massacre occurred, and one of the subjects, Johanne Butenschon Lindheim was on the island when Anders Behring Breivik attacked her camp. An intense account of the incident from Lindheim is palpitating viewing and a reminder of the mark the attack left on the country.

Jury duty proved to be an enjoyable experience and one that not only increased my knowledge of global politics but gave me a chance to champion some extremely talented female filmmakers.

With this EDA award, the AWFJ will honor the best female-directed film from the curated program MoMA Selects: POV, a 25th Anniversary Retrospective, presented at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in February and March of 2013. A jury of five AWFJ members selected the nominees. Read more>>.

While such anecdotal stories are attention getting, they reveal little about the relationship between gender, film critics, and movie reviews.

In an effort to better understand how gender may influence popular film criticism, this study tracked over 2,000 reviews penned by145 writers designated as “top critics” on the film review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes over a two-month period in the spring of 2013. The study examined the percentages of male and female critics, the numbers of reviews they wrote during that period, and the length and nature of their reviews.

According to the Rotten Tomatoes website, writers considered top critics “must be published at a print publication in the top 10% of circulation, employed as a film critic at a national broadcast outlet for no less than five years, or employed as a film critic for an editorial-based website with over 1.5 million monthly unique visitors for a minimum of three years.”

The following summary discusses three perceptions about gender and film critics/criticism, followed by the reality.

Perception #1: In recent years, the decline of newspapers and the rise of the Internet have democratized popular film criticism. More women now review films than ever before.

Reality: Film critics appear to have become less, not more gender diverse over the last six years. In Spring 2013, top male critics wrote 82% and top female critics 18% of the film reviews featured on the film review aggregator site. (In Fall 2007, men penned 70% and women 30% of reviews written for the top 100 U.S. daily newspapers.)

78% of the top critics writing in Spring 2013 were male, 22% were female.

Males accounted for 91% of critics writing for movie/entertainment magazines/websites such as Entertainment Weekly, 90% of those writing for trade publication websites such as Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap, 80% of critics writing for general interest magazines and sites such as Time and Salon, 72% of those writing for newspaper websites, and 70% of critics writing for radio outlets/sites such as NPR.

In contrast, women comprised 30% of critics working for radio outlets/sites, 28% of those writing for newspaper websites, 20% of critics writing for general interest magazine sites, 10% of those writing for trade publication sites, and 9% of critics writing for movie/entertainment magazine sites.

Perception #2: Film critics tend to gravitate to films directed and written by individuals of their own sex. In other words, female critics gravitate toward films with female directors and writers and male critics are drawn to films with male directors and writers.

Reality: There is some support for this perception. A larger proportion of the total reviews written by female critics were about films directed by and/or employing at least one woman writer. 36% of the reviews written by women and 21% of reviews written by men were about films directed by and/or written by at least one woman writer. Conversely, a higher proportion of the total reviews written by male critics were about films directed and written exclusively by men. 79% of the reviews written by men and 64% of the reviews written by women were about films with exclusively male directors and/or writers. (average of 473 words). In addition, neither male nor female critics award substantially higher ratings to films directed and/or written by those of their same sex. Female critics award the highest average scores to films directed and written exclusively by males (67%), followed closely by films directed by a woman and/or employing at least one woman writer (64%).
Male critics assign higher average ratings to films with exclusively male directors and/or writers (63%), followed closely by films directed by a woman and/or employing at least one woman writer (60%).

The Bottom Line: Popular film criticism remains a predominantly male activity. Films with male directors and writers receive greater exposure as male critics are more likely to review these films than films with female directors and writers. However, while film critics tend to review higher proportions of films directed and/or written by individuals of their same sex, on average, critics do not privilege those films by writing longer reviews or awarding them substantially higher ratings.

Perception #3: If critics gravitate to films created by same-sex directors and writers, their reviews must be very biased, awarding those films more stars or higher ratings.

Reality: Not necessarily. Female critics write their lengthiest reviews about films directed and/or written exclusively by males (average of 604 words). Reviews female critics write about films with female directors and/or written by at least one woman are considerably shorter (average of 480 words). Male critics write slightly longer reviews, on average, about films directed by and/or with at least one woman writer (average of 485 words) than about films directed and/or written by males. In addition, neither male nor female critics award substantially higher ratings to films directed and/or written by those of their same sex. Female critics award the highest average scores to films directed and written exclusively by males (67%), followed closely by films directed by a woman and/or employing at least one woman writer (64%). Male critics assign higher average ratings to films with exclusively male directors and/or writers (63%), followed closely by films directed by a woman and/or employing at least one woman writer (60%).

The Bottom Line: Popular film criticism remains a predominantly male activity. Films with male directors and writers receive greater exposure as male critics are more likely to review these films than films with female directors and writers. However, while film critics tend to review higher proportions of films directed and/or written by individuals of their same sex, on average, critics do not privilege those films by writing longer reviews or awarding them substantially higher ratings.

Report compiled by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, Executive Director, Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University, San Diego, California. Copyright © 2013– All rights reserved.

Suddenly, as she is explaining the stressful pace and high pressure of the job, Jordan realizes that an inexperienced operator is unable to cope with a panicked call from Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin), a teenager who has been abducted from the parking garage of a shopping mall by a stranger (Michael Eklund) and is trapped in the trunk of a moving car. Reluctantly, Jordan takes over the headset, introducing herself and reassuring Casey that she’s there and will stay with her on the phone until help arrives. That’s the setup of a cat-and-mouse game that gets progressively more bizarre as Jordan calmly cajoles Casey to try to outwit her menacing captor by attracting the attention of passers-by. Then Jordan realizes that Casey’s kidnapper is the same maniacal madman she encountered six months earlier.

Unevenly scripted as a psychological thriller by Richard D’Ovidio (“Exit Wounds”), it is, nevertheless, tautly directed with a palpable sense of urgency by Brad Anderson (“Transsiberian,” “The Machinist,” “Session 9”). And the increasing suspense and chilling tension is heightened by John Debney’s feverish musical score. For the first two-thirds of the narrative, Halle Berry (Oscar-winner for “Monster’s Ball”) radiates intelligence, while Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) makes a smooth transition into vulnerable adolescence. In addition, they’re aided considerably by Morris Chestnut and David Otunga as supportive police officers.

Problem is: the jeopardy/horror falls apart in the third act with the final, vengeful twist completely straining credulity.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Call” is an intense yet shallow 6 – with an absurd ending that utterly disconnects.

As they traipse across the Black Forest countryside, where bloodied corpses lie unburied, they barter their meager possessions for food and medicine. Anti-Semitism is rampant, as many villagers believe that the shameful Holocaust images posted on bulletin boards were staged by actors. Along the way, they’re stopped by American soldiers who demand to see their identification papers. Observing their fearful dilemma is Thomas (Kai Malina), a German lad with a number tattooed on his arm; he is pretending to be a Jew in an attempt to avoid incarceration by the Allies. Coming to their rescue with his stolen papers containing a yellow star, he says they’re his siblings, traveling from Buchenwald to Auschwitz before liberation. While grateful, sullen Lore is, nevertheless, stubbornly conflicted; her Nazi indoctrination through Hitler’s Youth Corps has taught her to distrust and loathe Jews. As their journey is fraught with danger, Thomas becomes their leader and guardian, arousing Lore’s sexuality and forcing her to question her beliefs.

Spoken entirely in German and directed with stunning detachment and admirable restraint, it’s helmed by Australian director Cate Shortland, who adapted Robin Mukherjee’s screenplay, based on one of three stories in Rachel Seiffert’s 2001 novel “The Dark Room.” Selected as Australia’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, it didn’t make the final shortlist.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Lore” is an indelible 9, truthfully chronicling the triumph of the human spirit and in a class with Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon.”