In response to the Danish film Brothers, and in her astute readings of Toni Collette in Little Miss Sunshine, and elsewhere, Gio’s raised some great points about the depictions of female rage and anger. The topic deserves its own focus, so I’ll paste up her opening challenge and then some of the things she got me thinking about:
what if the mother had been the one to go ’round the bend? what if she had started throwing the house around? it would have been so much worse, so much more serious. but women stay put, stay sane, love everyone, understand everyone — while keeping absolutely gorgeous. i’m reminded of john cassavetes’ a woman under the influence but also, because i just saw it (and would like to write about, but please don’t let me stop you — i’ll be happy to comment!), notes on a scandal. and how about the forest for the trees? women’s rage is always a hair’s breadth away from battiness, whereas men’s rage tends to be rooted in cultural dissonances towards which we are meant to be understanding if not sympathetic.