The Conductor is the right film for the right time.
In short, it is about the struggle of Antonia Brico, the first female conductor in classical music world where men were the overwhelming leaders.
Brico was an illegitimate daughter who emigrated from the Netherlands to America with her poor foster parents. In the 1920s, when the status of women was generally low, they expect that women should find a good man to marry. But her choice was not only to pursue an excellent work, but also to become a symphony conductor.
From obeying men to directing all men in an orchestra, this opposition provides enough drama for the story.
De dirigent is a biography of Antonia Brico, who was the first female conductor in the world. In the film last for 138 mins, the heroine is overcoming one difficulty after another that prevents her from becoming a conductor. It is easy for the audience to get into the rhythm of the film quickly and feel exhilarated as the protagonist fight against various male characters.
This underclass immigrant girl is covered in labels of "marginality" that narrow her possibilities as a human being. But the art of music, which she loves, is open to everyone equally.
Although the film is based on real events, the so-called "ending" is no surprise and we are still thrilled with each small victory of the main character. This is the aspirational adult fairy tale.
02
Unfortunately, De dirigent fails to present a complete portrait of the characters.
The writer and director of the film, Maria Peters, intends to show the most topical elements like feminism, sexual harassment and transgenderism to create a “feel-good” film.
She doesn't seem to care about characteristic of the protagonist. We only see the goals and events, but it's hard to capture the development of her as she gets closer to her dream.
Even the love line, which runs through the film, takes a romantic route.
A poor girl with musical dreams meets a handsome man who works as a music agent. They fall in love sooner, but are separated by the heroine's pursuit. But when she returns to New York, the hero makes contacts that lead to her conducting the New York Women's Symphony Orchestra.
The film does not break away from the clichéd plot
A handsome guy is a "good-looking" embellishment for the heroine, he is only responsible for unconditional infatuation. The relationship between the two occurs abruptly, it is only when she is frustrated that she thinks of him and suddenly gets cranky when she learns of his engagement.
We may wonder if the heroine ever loved the man or not. The film's portrayal of such an important character is lacking. He's more of an instrumentalist to fill out the heroine's romance resume and help her out at some moments.
It is easy for a film to be feel uninformed that abandon the exploration of the characters, so that we are unable to understand their motivation.
The male protagonist becomes a "tool man", which is precisely the role of women in many films
The film provides a symbolic narrative of female situation, for example, The position of the heroine before and after her success and the position of the man on and off the stage are reversed. The female protagonist, too, is presented as cranky for lack of nuance. It seems that only by breaking the stereotype of women's "gentleness" and getting closer to more masculine qualities can it be logical for her to be on the podium.
03
In the context of the #MeToo movement, the film, like many works with feminist undertones, has received good reputation.
But in the end, what are we really talking about when we talk about feminism?
In fact, a number of films reveal that there are many traps in political correctness. The way to break free from the stereotypes should not be a switch to the other stereotypes.
In my opinion, the "most feminist" thing the film can offer is a realistic portrayal of women. Whether it is their pain, weakness or talent and bravery, they do not escape from exploring them and are not ashamed to show humanity.
"Feminism" means daring to present women at their most authentic and humane
There are 2 feminist films, Elle and Things to Come, stuck me in recent years, both starring by Isabelle Huppert. Both contribute highly distinctive portrayals of women. The former is a revenge story of a sexually abused businesswoman, while the latter focus on the mid-life struggles of a female teacher.
The heroines in both films have full personalities and have gone through changes. Some of the men around them are cute and some are hateful, just like themselves. And the attitude of them trying to live with trauma is extraordinarily moving.
Huppert acted a sexually assaulted woman in Elle (2016), for which she won the 2017 French Cesar and US Golden Globe Awards
Cinema is different from politics. it should first acknowledge women as human beings and, rather than showing "what women should be".
Likewise, in every wonderful feminist story, it would be difficult to establish if men were absent. Discussing stereotyped men has important implications for women.
De dirigent ends with the heroine's successful performance. And it’s followed by a text saying that the prototype, Antonia Brico's New York Women's Symphony Orchestra, lasted only a few years. And despite showing a lifelong commitment to the development of women in classical music, she was never successfully employed as the resident conductor of any orchestra.
This discouraging fact reveals the truth about the misuse of feminism as a political symbol, and its irony goes far deeper than the 138-minute-long film.
In the "Global Gender Gap Report 2020" published by the World Economic Forum, the results of various surveys on the workplace, social status and family commitments show that we are actually further away from equality than we were ten years ago.
Feminism is being mentioned so much that it becomes a show, but it does not correspond to reality. It can even perpetuate and expand gender violence.
Share your thoughts!
Be the first to start the conversation.