Film Fest notes
Jun. 23rd, 2005 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pantryslutGirl Wrestler was great. It follows Tara Neal, a 14-year-old girl who, due to TX law, will not be able to compete against boys once she enters high school. This means, essentially, the end of her wrestling career, since there aren't *any* girls both her age and her weight class in the state.
It also touches on the Title IX issues. One thing that the film doesn't follow up on: although male wrestling coaches did, as noted, bring suit against Title IX, the suit was dismissed.
I read an online review of the film that was complaining about the spin the movie was receiving -- all about feminism and equity in girls's sports and blah blah blah, when really it was all about one person's struggle to achieve. It just happens that this person is a young teen girl in a coed sport.
The review made me uncomfortable, but it has a point, which is that the scope of the movie is about all aspects of Tara's participation in wrestling, from the social issues of wrestling boys, through the macho sports culture of wrestling, weight cutting, to her relationships with her divorced parents.
One passing note that I really want more info on: Tara's mom mentioned that she used to play football, too.
The Lady is a Champ, which follows a first-division Israeli women's basketball team and their coach, Orna Ostfeld, and her struggles to get more equitable funding for her team -- a struggle that ends up in the Supreme Court of Israel -- wasn't as good, but it, too, told a really interesting story. I remarked to Guy that the documentary was probably made originally for an Israeli audience, who would be more familiar with the people and the team portrayed, and as a result I think the first half of the film left us a little at sea. But I'm still glad I saw it.
It also touches on the Title IX issues. One thing that the film doesn't follow up on: although male wrestling coaches did, as noted, bring suit against Title IX, the suit was dismissed.
I read an online review of the film that was complaining about the spin the movie was receiving -- all about feminism and equity in girls's sports and blah blah blah, when really it was all about one person's struggle to achieve. It just happens that this person is a young teen girl in a coed sport.
The review made me uncomfortable, but it has a point, which is that the scope of the movie is about all aspects of Tara's participation in wrestling, from the social issues of wrestling boys, through the macho sports culture of wrestling, weight cutting, to her relationships with her divorced parents.
One passing note that I really want more info on: Tara's mom mentioned that she used to play football, too.
The Lady is a Champ, which follows a first-division Israeli women's basketball team and their coach, Orna Ostfeld, and her struggles to get more equitable funding for her team -- a struggle that ends up in the Supreme Court of Israel -- wasn't as good, but it, too, told a really interesting story. I remarked to Guy that the documentary was probably made originally for an Israeli audience, who would be more familiar with the people and the team portrayed, and as a result I think the first half of the film left us a little at sea. But I'm still glad I saw it.
