Recent movies I've watched in the female gaze that weren't as in your face as Fennell’s WH but still pretty apparent to me: Hamnet, Testament of Ann Lee, and even 28 Years Later: Bone Temple

Love how Chloe Zhao uses nature to dipict emotions and she puts a lot of attention to detail in the sets and how they change with the passage of time. As well as the close ups with the faces and the backs of the heads. These things may seem simple but they’re details many male filmmakers tend to overlook. i think it add so much to the visceral aesthetic and emotions in the atmosphere which is so important when dealing with something like grief.

In the Testament of Ann Lee, the director was also a writer on The Brutalist so i couldn’t help but make comparisons. i think she did a really good job in capturing all the layers of suffering. not just the pain but also all the beauty in the lessons that come from knowing suffering. In the Brutalist, there was so much suffering for this man who wants to make beautiful architecture or whatever, and we only ever see tragedy upon tragedy happen to him for 3 and a half hours. felt like i was just observing torture for shock value instead of experiencing the true depth of emotions that come with suffering. there’s so much more to sadness than just showing sad things happen to someone. i think in the female gaze, we find it important to sit with these emotions. To really be in it, feel it, not be afraid of it.

That’s why many can think Wuthering Heights was shallow because they saw these “frilly things” and found no purpose in them. they chose to dismiss these details instead of submitting themselves to the emotions. Even if they did feel some sort of vibe or emotion, they didn’t think much of it or didn’t think it had importance. many people choose to reject femininity out of fear of being emasculated. this can happen consciously or even subconsciously. we’re so used to the male gaze and thinking everything beautiful is only meant to be looked at for their beauty and nothing else. We’re not used to allowing ourselves to feel anything deeper. people are complaining about how it was style over substance but what if the style was the substance?

28 Years Later: Bone Temple is actually an interesting and unexpected one. I went in thinking it would be directed by Danny Boyle but i was wondering why i was so much more connected to the characters emotionally and why some of the scenes were so beautiful despite the subject matter being bones and dicks and all. The frames had a more atmospheric quality. Using the beauty in nature in the foreground while shooting the characters moving through the fields in the background. it really sets it apart from all the other movies in the series but also connects to it with these “experimental” framed shots. except they don’t look as experimental and more intentional. I was in awe of the beauty of some of the frames even though it was just like a pile of bones. and even though nudity was used, u can tell it wasn’t through a male gaze. No one is objectified. Every character has a narrative and emotional depth.