The Experimental Feminist

At the ripe age of thirteen, I stumbled across an image on Tumblr of two floating girls’ heads against a kaleidoscopic background of messiness. Something about it spoke to me, called to me, lured me in. I didn’t know where the image was from until my first year of film school when I watched Věra Chytilová’s “Daisies” (1966) and was astonished. Chytilová’s use of color, non-linear story, jump cuts and highly stylized editing techniques — such as montage — created a world I had never experienced before, yet it felt so familiar to me. This was the film that made me sit back and think, “Wow! I actually understand this film thing!” My fascination with Chytilová’s psychedelic, spoiled world instantly opened my eyes to feminist film theory — which is a little funny considering Chytilová didn’t consider herself a feminist, but that’s a different article. Since this awakening four years ago, feminist theory has been my favorite lens to use when analyzing films.

However, when I watch a lot of current movies I feel that there is something that’s lacking regarding the feminist lens. I remember watching “Moxie” (dir. Amy Poehler 2021) and “Barbie” (dir. Greta Gerwig 2023) for the first time and being disappointed. I won’t say I expected a Criterion Collection-worthy film from Poehler, and I’m not saying that Gerwig didn’t create a fantastic plastic world. However, I do believe that films with overarching feminist themes benefit from experimentalism.

I know “experimental” art can sometimes go hand-in-hand with eye rolls and heavy sighs due to its snobby, stuffy reputation. “Daisies,” however, is a wonderful example of why that reputation must die. “Daisies” is an explosion of art and meaning wrapped up in a fun and colorful package. Often on the first watch, one may question what they just witnessed because, honestly, it is a lot to process in 76 minutes. And to some, having to rewatch a film multiple times in order to comprehend it truly may not sound like a fun time. But avante-garde art has so many nuances to it simply because there is so much thought and effort put into every tiny detail. Experimental art is not created to look cool or be pretentious — it’s made to provoke deeper levels of thought. And I think that is exactly why experimental film is perfect for feminist viewpoints.

Often you find that when it comes to feminism represented in media, people constantly berate and argue over whether or not feminist perspectives are accurately portrayed or if they’ve been “watered down.” One of the main criticisms of Gerwig’s “Barbie” was that it was white feminism wrapped up in revolutionarily pink packaging — which I find valid. There are so many formulaic aspects of a commercial narrative film that there really isn’t that much space to explore subversive themes. The commercial film industry is all about profit, less about message.

Of course, we still have beautiful, meaningful films coming out — and that isn’t to say “Barbie” isn’t one of those — from major studios, however, these mainstream films are products to be sold. Movies are produced and marketed to be profitable. And, due to the fact that more American males than females go to movie theaters, movies tend to be produced for and marketed as palatable for men. Think about the now-cult classic “Jennifer’s Body” (dir. Karyn Kasuma 2009) for a moment. “Jennifer’s Body” is one of my favorite mainstream feminist films, however, when it was first released it was marketed as a sexy horror-comedy flick … for men. And men were not happy when they sat down in theaters and watched boys being eaten. Roger Ebert even wrote in his review of the film that it’s “Twilight” for boys, “except that [he] recalls Robert Pattinson was shirtless.” Men were unable to see the subversive use of the male gaze nor the internal queer struggle of Megan Fox’s character. No, instead they were upset because Kasuma denied them the privilege of seeing Fox’s nude body. The feminist lens in “Jennifer’s Body” was unable to be effective because the commercial film industry is all about money, and they specifically want men’s money.

The only movie genre that is genuinely marketed toward women is the romantic comedy, but even then rom-coms have their own issues in terms of feminist ideology. Sophia Leim of the Women’s Media Center stated that when it comes to rom-coms, “the female protagonist is often quirky or different from other girls in some way, and her relationships with men are usually connected to the protagonist’s rejection of femininity.” Romantic comedies are not tools to discuss and dissect feminism, because that does not sell tickets! Because of this capitalistic filmmaking cycle, women are often forced to watch films that either gloss over and tame feminism or completely negate it altogether. And when we look at intersectionality, well, commercial feminist films aren’t the best at it.

While current commercial feminist films do try to incorporate intersectionality, they often fall flat. Why is it that non-white characters are so often delegated to sidekicks? And why is it that when non-white characters are at the forefront of films they are often stereotypical or one-dimensional? According to the 2023 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, 78.4% of theatrical film lead actors were white and only a third of lead actors for streaming films were people of color in 2022. When it came to disability, more than two-thirds of theatrical and almost three-quarters of streaming films lacked actors with known disabilities. And this is only taking into account the people we see on screen, not the people who work hard behind the scenes. In 2022, only 1.5 out of 10 theatrical film directors were female with 83.1% of all theatrical film directors being white. When it comes to writers, 87.6% of theatrical film writers in 2022 were white. I know that was a lot of numbers, but all of that was to say: Hollywood is an elitist industry. It’s all about who you know, and it’s an insanely difficult industry to get your foot in — but it does seem to be easier if you’re a white man. So, of course, intersectional messages are going to be lacking when there is an overall lack of diversity. 

Despite the fact that avant-garde film has a prissy, pompous reputation, it is actually quite inclusive and accessible. Anyone can make an experimental film. Unlike commercial films, avant-garde films are not financed by large corporations or conglomerates. Sales and profits are not the main focus when it comes to experimental films. It’s all about the vision, the message and utilizing film form to explore ideas and make a statement. There is much more space to be true to one’s vision when it comes to independent avant-garde film production. And this is exactly why I think experimentalism is the perfect tool for feminist filmmaking. There are no barriers besides one’s creativity when it comes to experimental art. One might argue money is, however, some of the most thought-provoking avant-garde films have used archival, stock or cellphone footage, and a lot have been short! There are no limitations when it comes to experimentalism. Your film is your oyster and tying back into the independent nature, intersectionality is so easily entwined in experimental film. No matter your race, gender, age or ability, if you want to make an experimental film, you can! And the freedom that comes along with avant-garde filmmaking allows filmmakers to really get into intersectional issues and messages. That is the true beauty of experimental feminist film. It is open to everyone. Laura Mulvey questioned, “What would women’s cultural practice be like? What would art and literature within an ideology that did not oppress women be like?” And I think the experimental feminist film world is an example of what film disregarding oppression can look like.

But talking about experimental feminist film only does so much, so how can we support these filmmakers? There are hopeful filmmakers everywhere! They go to the very schools we attend. They’re sitting, working in the coffee shops we love, posting flyers for their small film festivals on the community bulletin board. All we need to do is simply get involved. Watch experimental shorts on YouTube, donate to KickStarters if you are capable, go to a local film festival, crew on a college short film or just share the work of your local feminist filmmakers on Instagram and other social media platforms. Simply paying attention to and uplifting the artists in your communities does so much. And if you have the inkling to make your own film, do it. It doesn’t matter whether you went to film school. If you have a phone with a working camera or know someone with one, make your movie! The future of experimental feminist film depends on us. We all have stories to tell. So let’s tell them.

If you’re interested in watching experimental feminist films, here are a few suggestions:

• “Ceiling” (dir. Věra Chytilová 1962). Chytilová’s senior project at TAMU, this film explores the candid life of a Czech model, dealing with objectification and the performance of femininity.
• “Dyketactics” (dir. Barbara Hammer 1974). A reclamation of the female body, this lesbian film explores the female form and all its parts along with uncensored love.
• “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” (dir. Chantel Akerman 1975). A Belgian slice-of-life, in-real-time film that follows a single mother and her daily chores, Akerman does not shy away from showing the grueling, time-consuming feat of being a homemaker and sex worker.
• “removed” (dir. Naomi Uman 1999). Taking pornographic film strips and physically erasing every female figure, removed explores and highlights the male gaze through the absence of women.
• “Reluctantly Queer” (dir. Akosua Adoma Owusu 2016). Exploring a gay Ghanaian man’s struggles with his sexuality and his need to reconcile with his mother, this film is a poetic letter to identity.
• “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” (dir. Radu Jude 2021). This Romanian film deals with so many important issues surrounding privacy, consumerism and women’s sexuality when it comes to a school teacher dealing with the repercussions of her leaked sex tape.