What is a Feminist Film?

by Nell Corley

In my gender studies class, our last few weeks have been focused on how women are portrayed in superhero comics and movies. Fun, right? For three weeks I get to explore the sexist choices comic book artists made for their female characters for decades. 

However, it is encouraging to see movies like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel getting attention. We finally have female-led superhero films (though it’s taken a while) and these films are now less focused on sexualizing the main character and more devoted to creating strong, brave heroes like the male characters we’ve seen onscreen for ages. 

I love superhero movies — I’m a huge Marvel fan. I’ve seen all of them multiple times, and while I don’t have a problem with the way the female characters are portrayed, it makes me sad that the female character are never the focus. There are no relatable female heroes (I love Carol Danvers, but come on, she’s way too powerful to be relatable). Peter Parker is a teenage boy who is awkward and nerdy. Tony Stark had some of the greatest character development in film history over the many movies he was in. Even Thor became a genuinely funny, relatable character in his latest movie (Thor: Ragnarok) 

It wasn’t until I watched (okay, pirated, but we’re in quarantine) the 2020 movie Birds of Prey that I got a taste of what it would be like if women ruled the superhero genre. And boy, did it taste sweet. 

Birds of Prey was written by Christina Hodson and directed by Cathy Yan. This movie drew me in because it is heavily female-led; the main character is Harley Quinn from the 2016 movie Suicide Squad who teams up with four other strong female characters throughout the movie. It is the only all-female superhero (or anti-hero in Harley Quinn’s case) team portrayed in any Marvelor DC film. The plot follows Harley Quinn as she is forced by an old enemy, the creepy billionaire Roman Sionis, to track down a young street thief who has stolen the key to the

Bertinelli fortune. Harley Quinn meets other heroes like Black Canary, Huntress, and Cassandra Cain (who later becomes Batgirl in the comics).

The plot of the movie wasn’t as large-scale as a lot of other superhero films. There wasn’t a battle in space or supernatural enemies or even an enemy with a superpower. In fact, DC’s movies are often a lot more toned-down and gritty, and it’s more about the character than the power. The antagonist is the Black Mask, also known as Roman Sionis, and he isn’t terrifying because he’s super powerful — he’s terrifying because he is hotheaded, narcissistic, and dangerous when he dislikes someone. The scenes that showed how evil he was didn’t engage male watchers because he was meant to be a character who was a reflection of what makes men scary to women. In one scene, he forces a woman to strip because he suspects he laughs at her, humiliating her and then laughing as if it were a joke. In another tense scene, he captures Harley Quinn and threatens her life, which normally wouldn’t be scary, but actors Ewan McGregor

(Sionis) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) expertly played their characters. Harley Quinn, a usually very brave character, was scared as all women would be in her situation: in a room full of men, being laughed at and threatened by a man who possesses every trait that makes men dangerous to women.

The representations of men seemed to upset many viewers. Though 2016’s Suicide Squad received an abysmal 27% on Rotten Tomatoes versus the 78% that Birds of Prey earned, users on IMDb critiqued the plot, villains, and surplus of cliches in Suicide Squad. For Birds of Prey, users gave one-star reviews and called it a “disgraceful chick flick” featuring the “overbearing” feminist theme that “men are bad”.

Though, I can’t really think of many superhero movies where the villain(s) and his cronies weren’t men. Strange that watchers seem to notice just now.

Aside from the reviews, the female characters were portrayed beautifully, in my opinion. Each of them had their own personality, goals, and reasons behind their actions. Cassandra Cain is a street thief because she doesn’t like being at home. Harley Quinn is exiting an (arguably abusive) relationship and trying to prove that she doesn’t need anyone but herself. Huntress is trying to avenge her family and take back her family fortune. Policewoman Renee Montoya is trying to prove to her misogynistic coworkers that she doesn’t need to follow their lead to be successful after having a promotion stolen from her by a male partner. And Dinah Lance (Black Canary) is breaking away from Sionis and accepting her power. 

Each of the characters are an individual, not a caricature. Additionally, the costume design was done by two women and focused not on sexualizing the characters for men’s eyes, but on using the costumes to enhance each character’s own personality and power. Harley Quinn is still “sexy” — which a lot of men failed to see — because her costumes are clearly made to empower her now that she has broken free from her toxic relationship.

The movie’s female characters reminded me of how Kamala Harris was portrayed in Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan is likable, unique, and different than other heroes. She had her own struggles and responsibilities. And though we didn’t read the whole comic, it can be assumed that in her story, she changes as a person from beginning to end. Birds of Prey allowed women to take up space, be funny, be strong, be sensitive, be emotional, be kind, be mean, be killers, and break free from others’ expectations. Unlike other superhero films (and comics) the movie wasn’t made for men. It was made to exhibit women’s struggles, women’s fears, and women’s power. The group was primarily POC and had 2 canon LGBTQ+ characters in the main group. It gave power to the diverse female characters to make their own decisions and act as individuals, not typify them intoone cliche character.

That’s what made it important (though it wasn’t as successful as other superhero films because of men who simply hate women or people who decide to not see the movie just because it’s female-led): it was important for women. Just like how I felt leaving Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, Birds of Prey made me, as a woman, feel strong. Because it showed characters who were unique, flawed, and interesting (things that most women are) being badass.

That’s a feminist film. A movie that makes women feel empowered. Some men view movies that are empowering to women as “man-hating” because men are the villains, but men are often the villains in a woman’s life. We deserve to watch strong female characters defeat the men who have wronged them when the reality is we live in a system where women do not always receive justice for being exploited. 

It allows women to feel like someday, somewhere they will receive an apology for being

constantly brought down, abused, restrained, and harmed. Women deserve to be angry.

The world is against women. It’s exhausting. 

Harley Quinn got her revenge — maybe someday we will too.