‘In other words, the issue is not one of elaborating a new theory of which woman would be
the subject or the object, but of jamming the theoretical machinery itself.’
- Luce Irigaray. ‘The Power of Discourse and the Subordination of the Feminine’
Discuss how two films set out to disrupt and think beyond patriarchal film practices.
Consider form, content and intended audience when answering.
Films Chosen: Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019) & Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
Throughout both films Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019) and Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold,
2009), it is evident that both narratives hold great compatibility with feminist film theory.
Though it is more apparent when watching Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, one can see the ways
in which both films set out to transcend patriarchal film practices. Whilst women in Atlantics
are possessed by the ghosts of the men that abandoned them, Fish Tank offers an alternative
viewpoint in regard to patriarchal film practices as the protagonist Mia is made to oppose
Hollywood custom as she undoubtedly possesses the male gaze. Comparatively, Mati Diop
draws specific attention between the differences to how men and women are treated by
skillfully using technological effects throughout the action. These effects are specifically
utilised through Diop’s inclusion of the supernatural, in which the women are possessed by
the men that have died at sea. This can be seen to further highlight the inequality in their
society as even in the afterlife, the men still have control and power over the women. In their
respective plots, both films main similarity is the inclusion of this idea of role reversal. As
well as the women being possessed by the dead men in Atlantics, Fish Tank’s narrative relies
on the reversal of gender roles when it comes to desire, in order to make a defiant statement
against the patriarchy. By doing this, both directors purposefully go against predictable film
portrayals of patriarchy and instead enable the viewer to rethink the impact of gender roles
within society through seeing it from a different viewpoint.
the subject or the object, but of jamming the theoretical machinery itself.’
- Luce Irigaray. ‘The Power of Discourse and the Subordination of the Feminine’
Discuss how two films set out to disrupt and think beyond patriarchal film practices.
Consider form, content and intended audience when answering.
Films Chosen: Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019) & Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
Throughout both films Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019) and Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold,
2009), it is evident that both narratives hold great compatibility with feminist film theory.
Though it is more apparent when watching Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, one can see the ways
in which both films set out to transcend patriarchal film practices. Whilst women in Atlantics
are possessed by the ghosts of the men that abandoned them, Fish Tank offers an alternative
viewpoint in regard to patriarchal film practices as the protagonist Mia is made to oppose
Hollywood custom as she undoubtedly possesses the male gaze. Comparatively, Mati Diop
draws specific attention between the differences to how men and women are treated by
skillfully using technological effects throughout the action. These effects are specifically
utilised through Diop’s inclusion of the supernatural, in which the women are possessed by
the men that have died at sea. This can be seen to further highlight the inequality in their
society as even in the afterlife, the men still have control and power over the women. In their
respective plots, both films main similarity is the inclusion of this idea of role reversal. As
well as the women being possessed by the dead men in Atlantics, Fish Tank’s narrative relies
on the reversal of gender roles when it comes to desire, in order to make a defiant statement
against the patriarchy. By doing this, both directors purposefully go against predictable film
portrayals of patriarchy and instead enable the viewer to rethink the impact of gender roles
within society through seeing it from a different viewpoint.
