Atonement, or The Beatchez Alwaiz Lye!

[lavendertook]

I just went and saw a matinee of Atonement--ugh! Next time I decide to see a film because all the critics love it, remind me that most of those critics have mainstream white heteropatriarchal values that are forsooth yucky unto mine eyes. I'm so stupid not to do my research on the story before seeing a film like this because more often than not they piss me off.

If I knew this was a "poor nice guy falsely accused of rape by those lying bitches" story I would never have gone to see it. Because, you know, that's such an important story to tell over and over and over--how rape is horrible for the menz because menz gets accused falsely of rape. I mean, who cares that one in three or four women (and a percentage of men and significant percentage of transfolk) are sexually assaulted by men, and ALL women live lives constrained by that fact. It's silly of me to think of women as important outside of how they affect men.

Yes, the film is very pretty with very pretty people and a concise narrative; it's just the same old story of how women are liars and ruin men's lives and it's about time those bitches atoned for it. And if those pathetic spinster girls are going to get published, by golly, that's what they should write about if they are to attain tragically sympathetic status.

Thumbs down on this one.

Comments

[ithiliana.livejournal.com]

I trust my flist a helluvalot more than the critics (who write for the Dallas paper!), and so far you're the second to confirm my intense desire to stay the hell far far far away from that film!

[monkey5s.livejournal.com]

*snerk* I had seen the book when it came out, it was nominated for the Booker Prize, and I have to admit I just... couldn't read it. I didn't even try that hard, since I knew the basic premise. And the book has some absolutely grand reviews, too.

No, I have no intention of seeing the movie, and I still grimace a bit at the endless ads for it. Sorry you wasted your time and money!

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

I was already planning on giving this one a pass, and you've just confirmed my original decision.

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

Let's see... How about these for 1 and 2?

1 Pissed-off LavenderTooks: Don't go unless you've got a solid feminist support group to listen to the post-mortem.

2 Pissed-off LavenderTooks: Be prepared for audience reactions, because you will find yourself involuntarily denouncing offending sexist and heterosexist tropes out loud.

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

I do hate it when male writers use female characters to Make A Point about Eternal Themes.