Overall, I enjoyed this movie. But I do think its weaknesses were rooted in the fact that the film tried to do too much in the way of subtexts: feminism and vegetarianism in particular. Because of these two focuses, we the audience were subjected to frame after frame of pointlessness and male characters so dreadful it took away from the believability of the movie--the acting in the first 15-20 minutes or so was especially rigid.What I did like about the movie was the gloomy atmosphere (I refuse to believe the Animal Planet inclusions had anything to do with that, by the way), Jordan Ladd (whom I have admired since Cabin Fever), and the horrific visual gags centered around the premise of the movie as outlined in the plot. This is one I definitely need to watch again in a month or so, now that my expectations have been set (lowered?).
After having spoken with the director Paul Solet a couple of times now about this movie, he expressed some surprise (as did I) that there's a feminist reading of this film. It doesn't assert any particularly feminist ideology, other than the central characters are all female. Likewise, the vegetarianism, which was about where the character begins and not a suggestion of good or bad choices. I would definitely recommend a second viewing, and forget about ideological subtext, as that was never intended, according to the filmmaker. By the way, great to have you back after your break!
ReplyDeleteWell, I can't accept that there isn't feminist ideology since every male character (husbands and doctors) is portrayed as weak, and women are portrayed as superior in the house and the workplace. I could've easily used this film as part of my feminist theory study last semester. But, then again, maybe I'm reading into it too much. I'm definitely gong to watch this one again. Thanks for the welcome back!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I should also say this: Despite anything negative I've said of the film, I find myself looking forward to future Paul Solet works.
ReplyDeleteHe has a very interesting project called BSH ata script stage, which is very cool. Also, Trick 'r Treat drops today. Pick it up. If you don't like it, I'll personally give you a refund!
ReplyDeleteI've been hesitant with this Trick 'r Treat movie, but I'll go ahead and check it out. I'm receiving the film adaptation of Offspring today!
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I'm still wading through the glut of special features on the American Werewolf in London Blu-ray, which is a dream for any fan of the movie. I'll have the review up soon on Last Blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to see this, especially now that you've sparked some kind of feminist/vegetarian controversy. Good work! Sounds more like pseudo-feminism though, if it's solely grounded in women are superior/men are inferior - we've moved on from such simplistic and non-progressive views (I hope). I'll let you know what I think. For the record though, and I'm paraphrasing, but someone once said that as soon as a piece of work leaves the artist's hands, the meaning no longer belongs to them. That's the joy of art. So, intended or not, it can still have an underlying ideology.
ReplyDeleteI must say, I'm intrigued by how vegetarianism will feature...
P.S. Just bought the most recent Rue Morgue, and they call Grace a "feminist" film in the headline to their article on the film. Interesting. Now I really really want to see it.
ReplyDeleteGGG - I am going to watch this one again this week, but I didn't pick up on any other feminist discourse other than the notion that women are better equipped. I do remember something occuring that reminded me of a Gloria Steinem article, but I didn't jot it down at the time. When I watch it again, I'll pay more attention. There may have been some elements of gender roles, too. Let's see what a second viewing brings to the table!
ReplyDelete