Feminist Film Studies SU

I really appreciated how Obvious Child seemed to effortlessly make the conversation about reproductive rights very causal. It was obvious how much intention and research had gone into creating the casual atmosphere, but sometimes it's really hard to even imagine what life would look like without all the venom that goes into talking about reproductive rights. It's nice to see an option that feels so far away so tangible and so easy.

I enjoyed Obvious Child a lot. The film definitely succeeded in its aim to provide a realistic, funny portrayal of a woman making the choice to terminate her pregnancy; Donna was flawed and complex, obviously struggling to make it through her 20's, and since women so rarely get the opportunity to occupy that complexity in cinema, it felt refreshing and new. However, something that kept bothering me was the question of whether this movie would have been allowed to occupy that space to the same extent if a woman of color would have been the protagonist. Honestly, I don't know the answer, but overall, this film was a welcome surprise.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Obvious Child, our reviews brought up questions for me about how we classify and categorize this film like many others have already stated it often defies that traditions troupes of the romantic comedy, but I believe there is another category it transcends as well. In the films comparison to comedians like Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer and television series like "Broad City" and "Girls" I find a troubling equvication. Firstly, both Lenah Dunham and Sarah Silverman have been all but disowned by large portions of the feminist community for their crudely naive understanding of intersectionality and solidarity. Lana Dunham in particular represents a tradition of racism and sexual assault all too frequently overlooked by "white feminist". While I understand the impulse because of their similar tones and comedy styles Obvious Child could not stand farther apart from its peers for me. Where shows like "Girls" , "The Sarah Silverman Show" and to a blessedly lesser extent "Broad City" use a supposedly feminist platform to further ideas of malappropraiton and the fetishism of bodies of color Obvious Child stands apart by giving genuine weight to its message and showing investment in the education of its viewers.

I was pleasantly surprised by Obvious Child. I did not know exactly what to expect, except for I knew it was a rom-com about abortion. I really like how the film fought back against a lot of stereotypical elements of the traditional romantic comedy. I really enjoyed our leading character, Donna, primarily because she does not fit into the typical girl who is the romantic lead in a rom-com. Jenny Slate, who plays Donna, is of course physically beautiful, but she does not fit into the stereotypical "pretty little white girl ideal" we generally think of when we think of a leading lady in a romantic comedy film. She looks and acts like a pretty average modern woman, although she is probably overall an exaggeration of the average woman. I know I personally can relate to her and there were a few moments in the film where I thought that I would act in a similar way to her. I also find her relationship with her Jewish heritage to be interesting. She mainly is bashing on her own culture, but she also seems to have a sense of pride about it and it seems like it somewhat otherizes her from other people (or at least she seems to think it does). Her comedy acts are also very interesting! I feel like comedy is an artistic field that we do not commonly see women in and although there is progress, it is a field that is still very much primarily men. The fact that Donna is a comedian also otherizes her, yet she is also genuinely funny and some of the most memorable moment from the film are moments from her stand up. The film was overall very fresh, challenging and I very much enjoyed it.

I really liked Obvious Child - it was so refreshing to laugh while also seeing real women's issues presented in a pretty realistic way. Usually you can get one or the other in - either they're feminist and realistic and thereby usually tragic and heavy, or slapstick funny, anti-feminist, and white-washed, oriented toward the male gaze and following the marriage plot structure. I think movies like Obvious Child could be the future of mainstream romantic comedies, which is really exciting.
One thing I found interesting was Max's character - toward the beginning Donna comments on how he looks "super-Christian" and makes fun of his boat shoes. His clothes, blonde hair and blue eyes, and polite attitude, along with his persistence of pursuing a relationship with Donna and not just a one night stand, paint him as an idealized Christian man, although it isn't explicitly confirmed by him. In other words, I would mark him as a Republican. I don't think he ever alluded to any political views, except by implication in his support for the abortion, although his initial reaction at the comedy show was negative and it's unclear why. I think Max's characterization is an interesting choice; they could have chosen a man of color, a Jewish man, or a more "progressive presenting" white man, which may have gone along more with the message the film sends. I think the choice may be to send the message that the "normal" American man, that is white and Christian, is, or should be, pro-choice and feminist, and that "normal" is shifting with the new young adult population. It allows it to fall into the recognizable category of romantic comedy, accessible to audiences used to the traditional rom com to gain more credibility and support, and to normalize the issue of abortion.
I think this was a really interesting and important starting point for feminist romantic comedies, but I also think we can do and expect more intersectional stories that don't involve men who look conservative.

One of my favorite aspects of "The Obvious Child" is how it is advertised as a romantic comedy but works to deconstruct the common tropes. It does follow the same basic, cliched plot structure: 1) woman and boyfriend break up, 2) woman is sad, 3) woman finds another man, 4) banter and a series of miscommunications follow, 5) woman and new man reach a breaking point, 6) everything is resolved into a happy ending. However, even within that structure, small parts of the movie are working to subvert itself. 1) The breakup scene at the beginning is in a dirty bathroom, with people walking by and even in front of the camera. 2) We noted in class how the montage of Donna getting sloppily drunk and calling her ex is not often seen in movies. 3 and 4) Donna and Max have a drunken one-night stand and never enter into a relationship in a meaningful way, and are more on the the outs with each other than they ever were "on the ins." 5) The main source of Max and Donna's drama is a pregnancy that she plans to terminate, while most films in this genre rarely deal with such controversial issues. Finally, romantic comedies are (in)famous for their big romantic gestures at the end of the film where the two lovers reconcile. The big romantic gesture at the end of "Obvious Child"? 6) Max brings Donna flowers, accompanies her to get an abortion, and then they watch "Gone With The Wind." Donna even says at the end of the film that she hates romantic comedies, that they're unrealistic and she can't relate to them. What this film was trying to do - and I think succeeded at - was create a realistic romantic comedy for a modern audience.

Here's the link to the book account of the Satan womb lady: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2097938.Newes_from_the_Dead

Newes from the Dead WRONGED. HANGED. ALIVE? (AND TRUE!)Anne can't move a muscle, can't open her eyes, can't scream. She lies immobile in the darkness, unsure...

Kennedy: Like others I was compelled by the obvious issues of the "pro-life" and pro-choice arguments at play within the films context. While the horrors of having the health of a gestating fetus placed above that of the expectant mother certainly does lend the film to a pro-choice viewing, I think that Rosemary's ultimate reaction to her devilish offspring complicates the narrative. Ultimalty Rosemary believes she is trying to save her child from infanticide and even decries the notion of having an abortion at the height of her incredibly painful pregnancy.

These narrative threads lead me to believe that the film seeks to understand the horrors of both sides of the argument and the ultimate commitment that is motherhood, rather than to come down on one distinct side of the coin.

Rosemary above all else seems to want to preserve her childs life and at the films conclusion it appears that this inherently involves her turning from her Catholic upbringing to nurture and be mother to her child. Once again this turn from Catholicism complicates the films narrative and greys the already dubious morality between Rosemary and the Satanists. However I do not believe that these complications draw from the pleasure an audience member receives from the thrills in this film. Instead I believe these complex questions allows the emotions caused by the film to linger long past ones first viewing and prompts multiple revistitations and continued though.

Before watching Rosemary's Baby, the only thing I knew about it was that it had something to do with abortion, and whether it was pro-choice or anti-choice I wasn't sure; what's more is during and after watching the film I still wasn't certain about its message on abortion. Maybe I was just reading into it too much, since it seems fairly obvious now that someone would have wanted to abort the spawn of Satan. However, I think it may be more complicated than that, and about more than abortion.
Early on I thought that Minnie and Roman were supposed to represent some polluting of Christian values, which turned out true, but I had thought perhaps they were meant to be coded as anti-Semitic stereotypes with Minnie's New York accent, their apparent wealth and vocal anti-Christianity. They were also in control of the entire scheme, perhaps a manifestation of the anti-semitic stereotype of conspiring, power hungry Jews. I was interested in Minnie and Roman and want to unpack them more - why did Roman have his ears pierced, and why was that significant? Is that supposed to code queerness, playing into the horror genre's trope of using homosexuality as a threat like we saw in Silence of the Lambs? It also made me think of pirates, which would maybe code him as ethnically other? (There is definitely a chance that I'm just reading too much into all of this.)
This religious theme in Rosemary's Baby is what led me to question how "feminist" or pro-choice this film actually is. Since many anti-abortion activists are also Evangelical Christians, infamously bigoted, they believe that Jews, homosexuals, and "witches" (which are inherently racially coded) are trying to corrupt their young white women with evil, Satanic principles. To me, the message seemed to be more toward "you can't trust anyone who isn't a Christian because they're probably a Satanist" rather than a disturbing pro-choice message.

Reflecting over Rosemary’s Baby the past week, what I’ve found most horrifying has nothing to do with the coven/devil’s spawn Rosemary carries, but is the lack of agency Rosemary has surrounding her own body throughout the duration of the film. She’s tricked by Dr. Saperstein and her husband who are men in intimate roles whom one should be able to trust. This dynamic on how her husband could sell his wife’s first-born child for stardom and the doctor could make recommendations (no books, no vitamins) without Rosemary knowing, assisting the process of creating a demon would yield an interesting Marxist reading about the price of fame, or the investment of the prenatal drug industry. However, as a feminist reading it becomes simply terrifying to see our protagonist’s transformation from a doting, happy wife to a lifeless, pale, shell of a mother. Even more painful is the progression into Rosemary’s isolation from society, her friends, the ability to shop and use a telephone without the coven intervening. This film truly puts modern medicine and fetal rights under scrutiny, along with the complicated moralities of each issue. Furthermore, it creates an affirmation that women may have a right to be paranoid and anxious in these things upon taking on the innate bodily responsibility as a vessel for life.
-Elizabeth

Bonnie: As disturbing as Rosemary's Baby was to watch, I am ultimately glad that Rosemary was proved to be justified at the end of the movie in her paranoia. I feel like the only thing more terrifying for the movie to have portrayed besides the satanist cult manipulating Rosemary was if it was revealed that it was all in her head. I was so scared the film was going to pull the rug out from under us and give an "lol aren't pregnant women crazy" ending, and I very glad it went ahead and committed. I didn't know that this movie was originally based on a book, and I was even more surprised to find out the author was a male because this story deals with fears and concerns that are deeply feminine and something I related to strongly. The articles for this movie really help put into perspective the abortion and reproductive rights debates that were going on and are still going on, and I feel like there's so much to unpack in how much commentary and voice this movie gives these issues, especially since I saw it as very pro-choice and critical of the consequences if the right information and resources are taken away from expectant mothers. Rosemary wants to have her baby, even saying no to an abortion when one of her friends bring it up (also, her friends are the best, locking Guy out and listening to her concerns, go them), and she ends up choosing to take care of the baby, but all of this seems very tongue-in-cheek when she literally gave birth to the ANTICHRIST, and everything has backed her into a corner to prevent her from taking any other options. I assume we as the audience were also supposed to root for Rosemary to stab the baby at the end, another reason why the movie reads as pro-choice to me, and I wonder how the message of the film in terms of the rights of the mother might have been changed if she had. Would that have been a moment to take back her agency, or is agreeing to help raise her baby in extraordinary circumstances her own free choice and therefore a form a agency? In terms of just logistical plot points in the movie I was confused on, I still don't know the context of what happened with the previous tenant of Rosemary and Guy's apartment. I assume she was also being terrorized by the cult next door which is why she had her wardrobe up against the closet, but she was an old lady so I wonder why the cult was interested in her. I'm also not sure about the role of Terry. Was she a part of the cult? Was she sent to befriend Rosemary? Did she commit su***de out of guilt? The Castevets didn't seem too surprised to see her dead, so was it planned? Did the cult murder her? Lots of questions about Terry.

I found the role of Rosemary's physical appearance, most notably her hairstyle, to be really interesting in this film. Her short, "chic" hairdo is one of the only aspects of her life that she successfully managed to take control over, and when she did, she experienced significant pushback from everyone in her life, who, despite not taking her illness seriously, associated her short hair with her "looking sick." The agency that the film provided Rosemary was very limited overall, and in the end, when it seemed as if she might take her knife and kill Satan's baby, I found it very frustrating that she just complacently began to rock the baby back and forth, as if her maternal instincts would overshadow her fear of the literal child of Satan.

I saw Rosemary's Baby for the first time last semester in my Intro to Film Studies class. The film really struck me then and still does after the second viewing. Rosemary's Baby is a phenomenal film that represents insecurities in pregnancy and motherhood. What I find to be the most disturbing aspect of the film, other then the fact that she is having the devils child, is the fact that Rosemary is betrayed by everyone she should be able to trust. She is betrayed by friends, her doctors, and even her own spouse. What a horrible world it would be if we could not trust a single person we are close to. The film also does an excellent job of addressing a common fear that new parents have, the fear of what your child will become. Fears that your child might have some sort of physical or mental defect and then fear that the new parent may not be a good parent. That the new parent will fail in properly raising their child. This is almost directly addressed at the end of the film when Rosemary is asked to be a mother to her bastard, monstrous child; a choice she did not originally have. At the very end of the film, it seems that Rosemary has chosen to be a mother and love her child, no matter what. I also want to mention how interesting it was viewing this film in a room mostly filled with women. In my intro to film studies class, the class majority was male and there was certainly a different feel to the room both times I have viewed the film. I believe it is much easier for a male viewing this film to distance himself from the subject material. He will never go through the process of pregnancy and thus he can sympathize with Rosemary, but he also can't exactly put himself in her shoes and necessarily fully empathize with the situation. Meanwhile, women, whether or not they have had children, can empathize with Rosemary. Thus you have reactions like most (if not all) of the women in our classroom had. We cringed, we crossed our legs, we tried to protect ourselves, even though we were not in any danger in that room.

Kennedy: While I definitely enjoyed this film and I think it did a great job of giving voice to often untold POC stories, I can't help but wonder about the intended audience of this film in relation to the oppositional gaze. While it certainly does offer validating representation to the African American experience,is it a film that the people it represents would enjoy watching? Does the harsh reality of this film keep it from being something that those who experience that narrative on a daily basis can enjoy? If the film cannot offer them enjoyment what can it offer aside from representation? It seems to me that while the lack of romanticization of the films narrative makes a strong point about stark day to day realities,it may isolate the viewership of those who live that life and seek escapism through entertainment.


On the other hand is it possible that this film exists to educate those who are unfamiliar with these day to day realities, like the overwhelming systematic effects of the prison industrial complex, or the isolating structure of the distressed black family unit? If the film seeks to educate does it need to be entertaining or does it simply need toexist? ?

Middle of Nowhere was appealing to me as Ruby’s character felt the extraneous tensions of being pulled in every direction by the people she loved. The main conflict I interpreted was not Ruby’s internal state, although the scenes in which we see her fantasizing her husband laying next to her in bed do contribute to her own split psyche. The main problem I felt throughout the film was an external pulling on Ruby, in a direction from her mother (“You used to talk about school, now you only talk about some boy”), her sister (“Can you babysit?”), her husband (“You can take a job, you don’t have to come visit me each week”), and Ed who compromises her marriage. Ruby stands tall throughout all of this, holding her ground, and working the night shift, which is another way society pulls on her to adjust to cater to a need. We see who Ruby is through her moments of weakness, like when she retaliates to her mother (“STOP! STOP IT!”) and when she trusts her sister in breaking down to her about her cheating husband. Therefore, I think Ruby may be the most recognizable, identifiable character we have seen in this class (for me) so far. Unfortunately, this is largely due to the way she is thrown so many hats in society and is held to a standard to perform traditionally in the roles of wife, daughter, aunt, nurse, and partner. -Elizabeth F

There was a strong theme of silence throughout Middle of Nowhere, there were many parts of the movie without dialogue, and characters who did not speak much, which mirrors the dynamic of Ruby and Derek’s distant relationship, as well as that of the relationship between Ruby and her mother, in which Ruby is silent and silenced, while her mother yells at her to urge Ruby to speak with her. I feel that this is intended to be extended further to apply to the silencing of Black women by the white patriarchy.

Middle of Nowhere was not what I expected it to be. When viewing the film I thought that it was going to end badly and that Ruby was going to get hurt or something. However I was pleasantly surprised by the end of the film. I will say something that did bother me in the film was Ruby’s relationship with Brian. I can understand her frustration with her husband, since she was loyal to him for many years and she believed he was about to be let out of prison, but him failing her in multiple fashions with both the assault and him cheating on her. Ruby’s technical cheating does not so much bother me as much as the way that Brian and Ruby interact early on in their friendship. Brian is on the creepy side when he introduced himself at the party and it is mildly disturbing that he knows where she gets on and off of the bus every day. He sort of reminded me of Baines in The Piano. Both men are possessive of women who “don’t even belong to them”.