Joe Leggett's Film Blog

Timbuktu's representation of females can be perceived in different ways. The film directed by  Abderrahmane Sissako in 2014 deals with social issues in middle-eastern countries. The movie can be seen as in support for women as it is arguably raising awareness about the in-just that we see in the movie. That is definitely the consensus view. There are some very strong leading female characters in the movie. Kidane's daughter, Toya, is one of the most important characters in the movie. Women do not have many rights in Mali, but as a child she is probably exempt to these. She talks to the boy that she is not supposed to talk to, she shows no fear, and she is an icon for freedom. This is shown in the last scene as she runs away into the unknown. Out of all of the intimidating characters in the movie, it is still the little girl who runs away from it all and arguably wins at the end. Also, the crazy lady who is in a few scenes is a strong representation of women. She is very b...

Pan's Labyrinth, a film made in 2006 and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, explores many themes during it's story development. One of which is gender. The captain is the most stereotypical 'manly' man that you could create. He is arrogant, powerful, intimidating and brave. On multiple occasions, he shoots and kills people, some of which are not even his enemies. However, the film explores gender in a good way, as Pan is not a stereotypical female. She is strong-minded, witty and brave. This is shown numerous times throughout the movie. At the end of the movie, she sacrifices her own life to save her brother's. There are links between the patriarchal system and the way Spain's society was under the fascist government. This links to the theme of rules or rewards. The movie's plot arguably uses political influence in the form of the underworld. In the real world, Ofelia sees that things are unjust and horrible. However, in the underworld, there is a fair system i...