Paulina Contreras

The Film “This Changes Everything” (2018) is a documentary starring Geena Davis. She is an American actor, activist, producer, and former model. Also, the founder of the Institute on Gender in Media and is on a mission to increase the number of female roles in Hollywood. In my opinion, women were just overlooked. This film discusses a dilemma present in the Hollywood industry. Many famous female artists tell their stories of what it is like working in the misogynistic film industry. The majority of women in this industry have confronted a sexist, racist, discriminatory comment or action. This film allowed them to share their story and for the world to hear what they had to say. Something that I thought was controversial was the fact that the film director was a male. His name is Tom Donahue, directing a feminist film. “This Changes Everything” is intended to spread awareness of women's difficulties in Hollywood. In addition, the film pointed out many problems that women face in their work environment. I think that this documentary helped other women speak up and try to solve the problem. It also has stories from women of different backgrounds and speaks their reality of working in Hollywood as a woman. The film caught my attention when there was a scene with famous women getting interviewed. As well as sharing a short part of a movie they have been part of. This technique was logos, I think that it made the audience feel connected to what the person was describing. What helped a lot with the actresses' explanation is that they showed the exact scenes that they were talking about. Ultimately, this helped me understand them a lot more and we got to see what they had to go through. As said by Mellody Hobson, “We’re not just shaping the perspectives in this country, we’re shaping perspectives around the world” meaning it demonstrates how women have always been underrepresented in film. Even when they are present, women are commonly portrayed as typically feminine. For example, stereotypical positions, such as nonprofessionals, housewives, wives or parents, and sexual gatekeepers. A great example could be “Filmmaking has told us no. Women shouldn’t be focused on or learned about their desires, their wants, their needs, their fears.” Meaning women had no say in their roles. They just have to be quiet and act their part. Another technique used in the film was ethos. It is present when famous artists such as Meryll Streep, Natalie Portman, and many other actresses spoke of their experiences and thoughts. This gave the audience a sense of credibility. However, something that this film missed was intersectionality. The word intersectionality refers to the fact that many of our social justice issues, such as racism and sexism, frequently overlap. This then results in several degrees of social injustice. In addition, intersectional feminism is what stands for women's rights and empowerment for all women. I think the film “This Changes Everything” lacked biased evidence towards black women. Due to only speaking mostly white women getting limited opportunities in the film industry, but not mentioning the more limited or non-opportunities to women who are of color. That’s where the term intersectionality comes into the discussion. In my opinion, it would make the audience feel and see the real problem with the industry. It will make it more emotional towards a new point of view of the number of black women who are trapped in between. Also, the audience will feel encouraged to speak up and not feel alone with a problem that is known.