I was a Teenage
Feminist
Trixie Films
Web: http://www.trixiefilms.com/teenfem/
I was a Teenage Feminist is a personal journey into
a powerful, political movement that once sparked passionate response and social
revolution, but now routinely evokes discomfort, indifference and even contempt.
When we look at the growing influence of the religious right and conservative
politics it becomes all too obvious why women’s issues need to be once again on
the agenda.
Today so many people view feminism as a movement of
the past and yet so many significant concerns ranging from equal pay for woman
to reproductive rights remain unresolved. While many people try to negate feminism
by reducing it to an “abortion” only movement, in reality it is a wide movement
with many perspectives and differing values which is held together by a common
view of equality for both sexes.
Armed with a video camera, an inquiring mind, and
an irreverent sense of humor, filmmaker Therese Shechter crisscrosses both the
continent in the hope of reconnecting to the power and sense of purpose that
feminism gave her as a teenager in the 1970s. She has a very down to earth
approach, an endearing honesty and a willingness to follow an idea to wherever it
goes, she is more than willing to explore her own identity along the way.
As Therese searches for her place in the feminist
movement and tries to come to terms with her identity as a modern woman, she
asks some fundamental questions: How did feminism lose its voice? Does it even
exist today and for that matter, what is feminism?
Therese interviews a view of characters including a
stay at home mum who is not only a radical feminist but a political activist, a
grrl rock music promoter, the editors of Bust magazine and lots more. There is
Vinnie, a liberated young man working to take menstruation out of the closet
and promotes tampon cases and a number of older feminist figures who have spent
their live fighting for women’s rights. She also explores Third Wave feminism
and the relationship between feminism and LBGT issues.
This is a superbly made documentary interspersed
with fun clips from 1950’s moral education films. There is an excellent overview
of women’s rights throughout history with some nifty animations and a good
balance between the personal journey of the filmmakers, interviews and
informative content.
With Therese's witty, honest narration, a vibrant
cast of thought-provoking characters, a great sense of humour and a very cool
soundtrack featuring Ani DiFranco, Gina Young, MoxieStarpark, the classic Free
to Be...You and Me and the legendary Helen Reddy, I was a Teenage Feminist
redefines the F-word for a new generation.
Reviews
appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and
print edition, reviews appear with multiple images. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.
This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.4
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If
you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here
to go to the front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following
link http://www.synergy-magazine.com