Since the creation of film and entertainment, women have had a role in shaping what is seen on screen. But the same could be said for entertainment’s role in shaping how women and girls see their own bodies and roles in society. From being a leading lady to just a set piece, women actors and their participation in the entertainment industry have changed a lot over the years. Some of these changes are due to societal pressure, others a sign of the times. And thankfully, we’re at a point in time where women are allowed not only to be seen as active participants in the story but can control how they are seen and treated.
But it goes beyond the roles taken on the screen, but how the actors are treated as well. Body Parts, a new documentary from Shout Industries is tackling this issue head-on. Showing how women’s bodies have been used over the years, how actresses’ concerns and boundaries have been ignored and crossed, and just what the industry has done to women who chose to be part of the entertainment industry.
The documentary features bigs names within the industry including Jane Fonda, Joey Soloway, Angela Robinson, Karyn Kusama, Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Alexandra Billings, Stacy Rukeyser, Emily Meade, David Simon, and Tanya Saracho. All highlighting their own stories, their part of the industry, and how they are trying to make a difference as the years have changed. While many of the struggles of the actors are known, it’s almost shocking how pervasive these stories are and just how long this type of behavior has been allowed to go on.
While the changes in Hollywood and the entertainment industry are still happening, it’s nice to see that they’re heading in a positive direction. Body Parts is helping break down the myths about how women are seen in films and what that can mean for future shows and series. The documentary is eye-opening and shows the evolution of how women and bodies are used in the film, and where it could be going.
Body Parts is now streaming on Hulu with a premium subscription.
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About Body Parts:
Innovative and incisive, Body Parts explores the evolution of desire and “sex” on-screen from a woman’s perspective. Demystifying the often invisible processes in creating intimacy for film and television, the documentary sheds light on the most closely-guarded secrets of an industry now at a crossroads.
Body Parts features candid interviews with actors and creators who are advocating for real change, including Jane Fonda, Joey Soloway, Angela Robinson, Karyn Kusama, Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Alexandra Billings, Stacy Rukeyser, Emily Meade, David Simon, and Tanya Saracho. Deftly illustrated with movie clips stretching back to Eadweard Muybridge’s motion studies, Body Parts is part film-history lesson on the dominance of the heterosexual male gaze and part clarion call for employing intimacy coordinators across the entertainment field. It neither shies away from uncomfortable conversations nor ignores imagemakers trying to set a higher, more inclusive bar on set and on screen.
Filmmakers Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Helen Hood Scheer investigate the past in order to push towards a more equitable future for women in front of and behind the camera.
