As I went down the list of movies that have been produced by women over the past decades I came across one that truly surprised me: American Psycho. The movie about a deranged, sexually and sadistically violent yuppie from the upper west side couldnt possibly have been directed by a woman. After all, the graphic displays of of murder and rape of women by the lead character Patrick Bateman shocked us all in 2000, and the book it was based on was even boycotted by Gloria Steinem. I feel that this type of movie demonstrates the auteur theory in that a Mary Harron was able to take this narrative about this extreme version of a alpha male and spin it into a satire of men's obsession with dominance. Harron claims that "as soon as I started reading it, it was completely obvious to me that it was a satire - a critique, not an endorsement." Within the movie she highlights the absurdity and the insanity that is behind the idea of male dominance through her portrayal of Patrick Bateman. Within the article she also mentions the character's obsession with status, which also plagues our patriarchally driven society.
Harron has also directed 2 other movies that are known for highlighting a difference point of view. I Shot Andy Warhol, the movie inspired by Valerie Solanas who actually shot Andy Warhol, was featured at the Sundance FIlm Festival and was nominated for a few awards. She also directed a film called The Notorious Betty Paige, also inspired by a woman who warranted many different opinions during her time. It is my understanding that Mary Harron is well respected and regarded for her film contributions. She is the recipient of a variety of awards, not to mention that her movies are appealing to both sexes equally- which is not an easy task for today's directors.
In her writing of "Making Movie Magic," Bell Hooks explains the role of movies in society and their growing influence over our culture. She states "A distinction must be made between the power of viewers to interpret a film in ways that make it palatable for the everyday world they live in and the particular persuasive strategies films deploy to impress a particular vision on our psyches. The fact that some folks may attend films as 'resisting spectators' does not really change the reality that most of us, no matter how sophisticated our strategies of critique and intervention, are usually seduced, at last for a time, by the images we see on the screen. They have power over us and we have no power over them" (Hooks 3). This lengthy quote is extremely important to understanding the impact that movies have over our generation. The industry places the responsibility on the viewer to realize that what they are watching is not real life. This is why it is important that different points of view are represented throughout film and television; to engage the real life of those who were not previously able to speak. Female directors are taking the power back from film and unleashing their own power onto the viewer.
Works Cited
Humm, Maggie. Author/Auteur: Feminist Literary Theory and Feminist Film. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1997. 96. Print.
Hooks, Bell. Making Movie Magic
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