There are many different ways of doing feminist films. Some are conflicting, exciting, sexy, serious... When talking about this type of film, the first image that pops up is probably a strong woman like Phyl in the film, decisive, aggressive, wearing pants Pretending to be unfeminine, meeting such a female boss will make your liver tremble just thinking about it.
However, the heroine of Their Finest, Catrin, is not like this at first glance. She is gentle and reserved, with the shyness and affection between her eyebrows when the actor Gemma played Tess, which is exactly the image that men like most. And Catrin's character, during World War II, experienced the baptism of the feminist movement in the British society, is also the most easy-going. She is unconventional, has her own career and pursuits, and is willing to run away bravely for love; but she is not too maverick. She buys herself a ring, pretends to be married and avoids discussion, follows her boyfriend's surname, and even changes her first name. Into the name of her boyfriend's hometown of Wales.
Under the special circumstances of wartime, Catrin seized the opportunity to develop her talents in the film industry, and her acumen and talent made everyone admire her. What makes Lining and her character more real is that she is aware of current affairs. She humbly sells her proposal, and after receiving unanimous approval, she will smile shyly and accept the approval of the supervisors. When the men in the screenwriting room made their decisions, she would listen quietly, insert a few words at the right time, and give some good ideas.
Therefore, the film does not deliberately create a conflict between male and female rights. The male protagonist Buckley was domineering and domineering at first, and looked down on Catrin, more out of the conceit of a cultural person. The only line of dialogue that touches nerves is probably the phrase "If you want to be a feminist, start by tidying up your office." Confronted with Buckley's disdain and sarcasm, Catrin responded humbly. The office is refurbished to make room for herself; when Buckley ignores her advice, she'll keep fighting until a compromise is reached; when Buckley makes rude jokes, she's on her own. Return to his own body. Therefore, from the very beginning, there was no so-called oppression or tit-for-tat for this couple, and in the gags, their love was already clear.
Only the more radical Phyl was awake, and she warned Catrin early on that when the war was over, men would put women back in their original boxes, and they would be afraid if women didn't want to go back.
The title, Their Finest, comes from a famous post-war speech by Churchill, it was their finest moment. Indeed, for wartime women, despite the hardships made by bombing and war, this was their finest moment to participate in society and fight for their rights. When men of the right age join the war, countless positions are not only occupied by women, but also irreplaceable; and at the critical moment of national mobilization, stingy men will be willing to share part of the spotlight with women. A propaganda film about the Dunkirk retreat with a female protagonist.
War and suffering are terrifying, they bring death, bad news, panic, bombardment and a life of hardship, but at the same time they are empowering. This is not just Catrin alone. Those ordinary citizens who have worked hard to build a new life on top of the bombing rubble are empowered by the war with their optimism and courage. And Sophie Smith, an elderly single woman, didn't even dare to go to the morgue to recognize her brother's body, but she quickly cheered up and offered to continue her brother's career as an acting agent. Her courage made Ambrose no longer stubborn and more open In the second spring of her career, she pursued her own happiness more boldly. Not only women, but also Ambrose, an out-of-date actor immersed in the past. He is old and weak, and he doesn't look down on the current film industry, and the current film industry does not look down on him, and all he receives is perfunctory. supporting roles, the spotlight belongs to the young faces. Catrin's persuasion, but also her keenness and talent, allowed Ambrose to find new hope for his dying acting career. This experience changed him even more. When Catrin gave up his screenwriting career because of Buckley's death, this time it was Ambrose who came Inspiring her, "This is a rare opportunity for you and me, and we should seize it instead of letting death hang over us."
I think the reason why this film is feminist enough is precisely because she is not only concerned with the single issue of women's rights and interests, it is concerned with more vulnerable groups, how they can bloom in the most difficult situations. The light is more willing to challenge yourself, accept changes, and let yourself grow.
And what makes Catrin grow up is love. Her first unrepentant love was out of her admiration for the talent of the other party, and she was willing to sacrifice herself to follow him unconditionally. Therefore, when Catrin had a career she loved, it was a betrayal in the eyes of the other party. And she never had to look up at Buckley. Buckley kept admiring and affirming Catrin's talent and progress in the screenwriting career. It was the mutual sympathy of the two screenwriters that brought them together. For me, whether it's "you're so beautiful" or "you're so sexy", it can't equal "you're more talented than them" or "you're in a good state recently", I can feel Catrin's heart when he hears these words of sweetness. When every progress and achievement in the cause you love can be equally appreciated and affirmed, there is nothing better than this. Love, however, can be both euphoric and depressing, and when Buckley died, everything about the movie was emotional for Catrin. But what she chose to remember in the end was Buckley's trust and encouragement, which made her dare to come up with her own ideas more boldly. The voice from her lover is not her imprisonment, but the driving force that empowers her and makes her more confident.
And since this movie is about movies, we must also talk about movies. Movies are not only entertainment, but also empowering people. On the screen, the joys, sorrows and sorrows of the retreat were staged. The people watching the movie also cried and laughed along with the film, while we sitting in the theater watched them laugh, cry, and hold our breath when they were nervous. When they won, they couldn't help but shout out loudly, and they also cried and laughed along with them. Through the laughter and tears of these ordinary people, Catrin felt how good the films he wrote and the meaning of his work. Movies don’t just bring people a momentary dream and test. Movies are creations. What they create is an imaginary space, a bold possibility, which allows people to fight, optimistically and actively rewrite and create the future and hope. This film made them heartily identify with the courage and courage of women, and that women can, like men, go to war, die for their country, and even play a bigger role. When the film ended, the audience said with emotion, "This is our girl." This film made them recognize and sincerely believe that British girls are not only able to do housework, garden, wear beautiful dresses and drink afternoon tea Yes, the British girl, the girl who dared to defy the violent father, dared to face the unease of the dark night and the waves, sailed to Dunkirk, dozens of kilometers away, and brought their children home safely in the middle of the night . Movies are more empowering. The real Rose wrote to Catrin and told Catrin that she started to enroll in a course to study mechanical engineering. In real life, their ship could not even go to the open sea because of an engine failure, but after watching the movie , she figured that since Rose in the film was capable of repairing propellers, so could she.
Catrin also sees what it means to be a female filmmaker. Her job is not just to write the "mother-in-law" dialogues that male screenwriters are not interested in, it is precisely because she insists not to cut the sisters' scenes and insists on focusing the script on the sisters. It is she who proposes to let Rose be in the plot The propeller was repaired at the critical moment, and it was the ending she wrote with affection, with a woman's sharpness and delicacy, so that this propaganda material, which was originally a state machine, could move people's hearts with sincere emotions. What it wrote was not The horror of war and the distortion of human nature show the charm and brilliance of women in wartime.
This is a film that pays tribute to wartime Londoners, to wartime women, to filmmakers, especially women filmmakers. Indeed, it was their finest moment, for Catrin, for Phyl, for Buckley, for Ambrose, for Sophie, or for Rose&Lily. It's not just because of the special circumstances that make them stand out. War destroys life and brings despair and darkness, but people with strong souls are not cowardly. Whether it is war, movies, or love, they are not shackles that imprison them, but empower them to create boldly, Rewrite, imagine a future never imagined.
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