In 2009, husband and wife team, Nicolas
Kristoff and Sheryl Wuudon published ‘Half the Sky’ a novel addressing pressing women’s rights issues ranging from
sexual violence, sex trafficking, maternal mortality, girls’ education to
economic empowerment. I saw the film adaptation of this book last year.
Take a look at this excerpt from a segment
about sex trafficking in Cambodia. What do you think of it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LZheCJXjco
A reoccurring theme in ‘Half the Sky’ is celebrities
traveling to distant parts of the world to account their powerful encounters
with poverty and their witness to injustices relating to women’s rights. In this excerpt, Meg Ryan briefly describes
her experience in Cambodia, very much reinforcing the “gaze’ of the tourist.
Although I believe in this film’s message and enjoyed parts of it, this quality
turned me off. Why do we need to hear about the horrors of trafficking by a
celebrity? So we can relate to them more, as a Westerner encountering the
developed world, or to attract more public attention for the film? I personally
don’t find this directing choice necessary. In this clip, Ryan praises Kristoff
for his efforts against trafficking, but I don’t think that this film should be
focusing on him at all, but simply the issue itself. It made me feel that the
film was partially produced to boost Kristoff’s reputation as an advocate for women’s
rights, rather than simply let the women tell their stories. What do you think?
I saw this video a while back, and I completely agree! I thought it was really weird how the celebrities were the focus in the movie, when they really had nothing to do with the issue at hand. I know celebrities are often used as a way to gain more attention for issues, which I do believe is important--celebrities should use their fame shed light on important issues. But sometimes, as in this case, it goes too far. It seemed to me the focus of this movie was as much on the experience of the celebrities as it was the women who were portrayed. I think celebrities could have played a role in promoting the video, but that when the filming actually happened they should be left out. I definitely agree that it was a promotion for Kristoff as much as anything else.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The sad reality is that without celebrity presence in these films, they would probably not get the attention that they deserve and need. I suppose the celebrities might provide a connection for viewers to the issue at hand that a film is attempting to expose-it's kinda a sad reality of our society that we need poverty action to be "cool" before we take action.
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