By Jennifer Conde
An issue that affects every cinematic creator, whether it be on or off screen, is representation. Women working within the film business are unfortunately rare. Gender inequality has always been a problem in Hollywood and although there has been a slight change, women in crews, as of today, are still underrepresented.
Tom Donahue’s “This Changes Everything” is a documentary that thoroughly explains this imbalance. In the film, a variety of female filmmakers, from all aspects of production, are interviewed about their experiences with sexism within the industry. Influential women like Geena Davis, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, Cate Blanchett, Jill Soloway, Yara Shahidi, Amandla Stenberg, Tracee Ellis Ross, Matt McGorry, Alan Alda, Sandra Oh, Anita Hill, Jessica Chastain, Rose McGowan, etc. One after the other, they share their stories of misogyny on set and talk about the few opportunities that are afforded to women behind the camera.
Sharon Stone reveals that a director once asked her to sit on his lap when giving notes. Chloe Grace Moretz shares that she was told to put on a chicken cutlet bra and a push-up bra at a very young age. This story is not just a MeToo story however, it dates further back to 1979, when half a dozen female members of the Directors Guild known as “the Original Six” found that during the previous three decades, only 0.5% of all assignments were given to women, and they sued the studios for discriminatory hiring practices. These are the kinds of concerns that many women have been pointing out for several years, though many critics (specifically male) ignore them.
It indeed is a shame that not enough jobs go to women, and not enough content from female artists is distributed. The exact same goes for minorities, which the film touches on as well. Although it is a difficult situation, the current state is untenable, and women are revolutionizing the system. Shonda Rhimes has used her position to emphasize diversity across the board. She produced “Grey’s Anatomy” and ensured that it wasn’t only men that were being shown on screen but a mixture of gender and race. Marg Helgenberger starred a role as a forensic investigator which led to gender parity within that field. Reese Witherspoon, a woman who went from being a child actress to an influential producer, goes to show that female can do it too. Even FX, which begins this story as the network hiring the fewest number of women and minorities, is changed when the CEO recognizes the issue and transforms the studio’s hiring practices.
Personally, I feel that this one of many films that deserve recognition and attention from not only women but men as well. It’s essential for every single cinematic creator to be given a fair chance. The only way that women will receive the support that they deserve from this circumstance is if men join the revolution and act upon it as well. Tom Donahue clearly deserves credit for going out of his way to create a film that tells it like it is. He is a male that started the conversation about the inequalities that females face and that says enough. It’s time to give fifty-fifty because at the end of the day, everyone is creating stories to tell, and it really doesn’t go any further than that. It’s time to put an end to taking advantage of women and sexualizing them. Belittling females with positions and labeling them with the “emotional” excuse needs to stop.
“This Changes Everything” is speaking on behalf of all women to create a change within the film industry but all working women should take the message behind this film into consideration because Hollywood certainly isn’t the only place with this problem.
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