«Woman»: one voice for two thousand women

Cinema Wednesdays - Lauriane Pipoz

The documentary «Woman» by Anastasia Mikova and Yann Arthus-Bertrand features testimonials from women from fifty-three countries. The aim is to reveal the injustices they have suffered. And to highlight their resources and the accuracy of their feelings. An aesthetically pleasing film, revealing the beauty of women in broad daylight.

Why go and see «Woman» on June 14? Because, whether you agree with all the demands or not, one thing is impossible to deny: equality between men and women is not a given. And that's what this film is all about. But in the form of a tribute: to women's energy, their fighting spirit, their way of expressing their emotions. Everything that makes them beautiful. And what unites them.

This is expressed through a play of light that highlights their eyes. The viewer faces their faces, at eye level, against a black background that brings out their luminosity. A very sober aesthetic, allowing us to concentrate on their features, expressions and words. The testimonials are interspersed with sad or laughing, smiling or serious faces, and scenes featuring the female body. Sometimes naked, it is shown in all its diversity, proving that its beauty is radiant regardless of age, weight or the mutilations it has undergone.

As a woman, it's impossible not to identify with one or other of these stories. The film is designed to do just that. It covers a wide range of subjects, from sexuality and illness to family life and work. Each of the short speeches gets straight to the heart of the matter. We're taken by surprise by the openness of the speakers, who are so open and honest. We are surprised by the openness of some of the women on subjects that must be sensitive because of their age, culture or social status. Some points may seem accusatory, but it's hard to deny that their anger is justified.

Idealistic approach

The documentary's approach is obviously idealistic: each woman has her own story to tell, and it's impossible to combine different testimonies into one. But a beautiful message emerges. Wounds cannot be quantified. Where one woman laughs out loud at a prostitute's business card found in her husband's wallet, another cries that she didn't fight to study even years later.

It is possible to choose the response to these wounds: to recognize their own value, and then to defend it. Because the will to change things starts there. By the way women look at themselves. Far from being a supposedly objective documentary, the selection of a few minutes, or even a few seconds, of interviews from hours of recordings has made it possible to bring this message with a single voice. A strong, clear voice that attempts to erase differences, judgments and notions of time. Because, in the end, that's what it's all about: go and see it, you'll have a great time in front of an excellent film.

Write to the author: lauriane.pipoz@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © JMH Distribution