MAVA 335 European Cinema
Final Assignment
In modern world, role of gender has always been an important issue that made lots of people question the social structure. Especially the rise of the feminism in the western world pointed out the problems that are caused by the patriarchy, which still seems to be the main source that shapes worldwide cultures and traditions. These problems became a source for many art forms and art became a speaking voice for those who want to change this structure of the world. In contemporary art this voice can be heard frequently through film, and Pedro Almodovar is one of the filmmakers, who I consider an auteur, known for revealing the world’s masculine structure and celebrating the women in his …show more content…
Of all characters, only four are male by sex. Three out of these four; Mario, Rosa’s father, and the hospital doctor, don’t have significant roles. Only Esteban, Manuela’s son, plays a significant role that will direct the plot after his death. This fact reveals that are away from being plot creators. Even though Esteban has an impact on later events, he dies too early to make a difference to the story in the first hand. He becomes an object of Manuela and Lola’s grief and others’ pity. Similarly, Rosa’s father appears to be powerless because of his disease. This makes him a character dependent on a woman’s mercy, and an ineffective family member, which also makes him an object of care and pity. Opposite to the men, women make the whole difference in the story. First of all, the main plot is structured around Manuela. Her loss of Esteban and her search for Lola creates the focal point of the film. Additionally Agrado, Huma, Rosa and Nina are very different characters and their personal traits could be pointed out easily. Here women are not trying subjecting themselves to men. Contrary it is the men that tries to be more womanlike. Agrado used to drive a truck as a man before she got her breast implant, Lola was known as Esteban until he decided to become a woman. One of the interesting things about this film though is …show more content…
Especially the totally unlike usage of female characters creates a divergent narrative style. While in All About My Mother the women is in an active form that shapes the whole movie, in Talk To Her men are actively shifting the storytelling. Even though All About My Mother and Talk To Her have different characters, their role of these characters is parallel. They simply reveal the difficulty of having a marginalized identity in a patriarchal structure. While defining gender identity and subjectivity patriarchy excludes the ones that don’t fit its criteria. On the other hand, through these characters Almodovar seeks for possible changes in society. By giving marginalized characters an opportunity to exist freely in his films, Almodovar tries to create a chance for them to exist in the real