S. R. Sehgal

The cinematography is gorgeous. But let's imagine a life where all the men are either without talent (her brother), cold and distant (her Dad), or a cruel cad (her lover). Reviewers praise the movie for being "imaginative" and "original”. How imaginative and original is it to fall back on tired tropes of male deficiencies? Here’s how original the movie is: I watched season one of the hit series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon. In Maisel the female lead observes her husband's fledgling comedy career. It's bad, but she can do better, and does! In Coming to America 2, a sister observes her brother preparing to become King. It's bad, she can do better, and does! In Emily, Bronte observes her brother attempt a writing career. It's bad, she can do better, and does! Yep. Imaginative and original indeed. Here's the more likely reality for Emily Bronte: the loving, competent, and successful men in Bronte's life supported and provided for her, which nurtured and enabled her creativity, giving her the privilege and opportunity to write for a living and find success. When popular culture bends over backwards to regularly smear men as incompetent, dishonorable, oppressive and heartless, what could go wrong?