Lets face it: in terms of screenwriting, women tend to get the fuzzy end of the lollipop. Its not so much a conscious effort to invalidate women, its just on some level the writers fundamental lack of understanding on how to write female characters. For every hundred great male roles, theres just a few really juicy female ones. Characters that arent just wives and girlfriends, set pieces that revolve around the men in the film, but actual people in their own right. A lot of attention has recently been given to the Bechdel test, which attempts to identify films in which two female characters have a conversation with one another that doesn't revolve around men. Although this test can hardly be held up as the golden standard in determining which films are sexist (for lack of a better word), it is a helpful indicator of exactly how little some filmmakers understand the complexities of a gender that is consistently underrepresented. But there is hope. There are some really great films out there that feature wonderfully interesting and multi-faceted depictions of women, and don't resort to the same old tired stereotypes.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
