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FILM AND GENDER ISSUES

Customarily used films, both fiction and documentary, as a resource in most subjects they teach. This reflects my conviction as much about students' receptivity to the audiovisual and the wonderful learning opportunities offered by the aforementioned means (and also simply because I like it, dammit.) Of course, never as a mere "let's watch a movie not to teach, which is what we always hope and wish the lads, but as a starting point for a reflection analytical and critical of some depth. Of course, I always try there is also a recreational component, selecting films that not only possess educational value but also might like my students, although this effect is indeed often unpredictable. Is at stake in the motivational factor, essential in the teaching-learning process.

In this section, which was titled "Learning from the movies" (sorry, but I have thought of anything more clever), we present some films that can be learned something, always related to a particular topic and focus our comments on the educational potential rather than on purely cinematic. This last we left for when we speak of our other films in the sections: "Recommendations." It can serve as a guide and source of ideas for teachers or any adult interested in offering an edutainment younger, or simply as a film repertoire suggestions for any reader of this blog.

Take My Eyes (Icíar Bollaín, 2003).

is poised to become a classic for the classroom, and is certainly the best film that has never been done on gender violence. Portrayed with fidelity and realism typical psychological profiles of victim and aggressor, and the dynamics of abuse prototypical process, reviewing all the behaviors and attitudes typical of those who are involved in this type of situations, including members family and social environment of those affected. It also makes a very tight drama that avoids any sentimentality or horrifying free and cleverly avoiding superficial and simplistic Manichaeism. For all the above, has the virtue of being as informative as any manual specialist in the field, while it is an effective means of raising awareness of the problem is.


Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, 2007).

animation film based on the eponymous comic magnificent Marjane Satrapi. Chronicles the experiences from childhood to early adulthood, is an Iranian born Islamist theocracy of the mullahs, with the decline involved for the situation of women. It is an autobiographical story whose point of first-person view gives a special value. Besides the obvious, ie, reflects the situation of women under radical Islam, some scope for many clichés and stereotypes break spectators seated in the ignorance of the true situation of the countries Islamic culture and its people (oh, surprise, people who feel, think and act like "us"). Even, why not, may be useful to vindicate the narrative genre of comics, as common as unjustly neglected.




The Quiet Man, The Quiet Man- (John Ford, 1952).

A classic and a joy to film. Of course, if you are able to perform the act of abstraction that allows decouple the aesthetic dimension of morality (which is both possible and desirable in many cases to art objects, from my point of view), because it is the height of misogyny on a screen. A surly young man whose strong personality away any potential suitor (Lesson No. 1: If you aspire to a husband, be submissive) is finally "tamed" (or reinstated to the role he is assigned, if we want to get technical) by the protagonist. And besides, including physical violence, which by the casual tone that is told he must not be at all politically incorrect at the time of making the film. We suspect that, on the contrary, not surprised or shocked to previous generations of viewers (and, we fear, many of today), would attend the happy ending sequence, the climax of the development of the narrative, the woman finally "get what they deserve" and subjected to male of the species. There's more: all this happens with her acquiescence satisfied with what the authors merely an exercise in hypocrisy masking victim status of women. It appears as tacit accomplice of patriarchy, the status quo that accepts and even want, and therefore is fully justified. Film with a lot of crumbs, as we see. Not only portrays the uses and modes of a masculine society, but also to reflect on the normality with which they were made as recently as just over half a century (and I would say that even today ... and what we have, unfortunately).

Trailer Persepolis