Panel 18: Gender and Environment
ECOMEDIA IN THE ANTHROPOCENE (THE 2018 ASLE SYMPOSIUM)
A NEARLY CARBON-NEUTRAL CONFERENCE
Panel 18: Gender and Environment
“Cinematic Imaginaries of Gender and the Environment: An Examination of the Work of Hayao Miyazaki”
Ramya Tella (Ph.D. candidate in Geography, King’s College London)
“The Wild Bunch: Women’s Survival Narratives”
Virginia Luzon-Aguado (Profesor Titular Universidad, University of Zaragoza)
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Hi Virginia:
Robin Murray and I are big fans of many of the films you bring up. Meek’s Crossing aligns with the 1951 Westward The Women, but the former gives us a more powerful interpretation of women and their trek west. Thanks for bringing up Rabbit Proof Fence which not only focuses on first nation people but on very young women resisting oppression by “hitting the road.” What do you think about Varda’s Vagabond? We love that film (but we are huge Varda fans) and her films throughout her career have focused on women negotiating space, whether natural or constructed (Cleo from 5-7). Your analysis brings up the need to explore other films like Wendy and Lucy and Thelma and Louise. What other films have you been looking at during your research? Thanks again.
Hi Joseph
First of all, I’d like to apologize for replying so late. For some unknown reason the site was not allowing me to interact and post comments I hope the problem has been solved now.
Anyway. Thank you for your comments and for mentioning Varda’s film, which I didn’t know, I have to admit! Somebody mentioned Wendy and Lucy while I was writing this paper but unfortunately I did not have the time to check it out before the conference’s deadline. Sounds good though. As for the other films I’ve been working on, they’re pretty much the ones I mention in the presentation. Due to time constraints, I decided to focus on Wild and Tracks mainly because of their broad thematic similarities and also because I do practise (much shorter) therapeutic walking sometimes. I do, however, love Rabbit Proof Fence and Walkabout and the plan is to focus on those two children-focused films, maybe together with Wendy and Lucy, in an expanded version of this paper. Other films that I considered were Isabel Coixet’s Endless Night (I have always been a big fan of her women portrayals) and the lesser known Far North but I discarded them because although both are about women’s survival their focus on walking and the use of landscape is less significant, among other things. Regarding Thelma and Louise, I remember thinking when I first read Shari Roberts’ chapter in Cohan and Hark’s Road Movie Book and other research about this amazing film, hey, I’m looking forward to reading more stuff about women on the road. Unfortunately, not a lot has been published about other films featuring women on the road ever since.
On I lighter note, I thought you might like to know that I come from a place near a mountain village that organised a “Westward the Women”-like expedition back in the 80s. The organisers were inspired by the film, in fact, and it was a success. So, like you, we’re big fans of that classic around here!
Thanks again Joseph
Hi Virginia:
technology !! It’s always something.
Your story about the Westward the Women expedition is really interesting. The film still had/has power.
We know about Endless Night, but never have seen Far North.
I am guessing you will really like Wendy and Lucy. We are big Reichardt fans.
There is this film about an Inuit woman taking this enormous voyage to understand her culture called The Vanishing Point (not the car movie.) Very cool movie that you could possibly use.
It’s interesting that in many ways these road movies about women can be separated between people with “first world problems” and those with other concerns. Rabbit Proof is one of the latter. Not that things have to be binary.
Vagabond should be interesting for you. It’s one of Varda’s great works.
Hi again
Far North is a kind of horror adventure narrative. Interesting in its own way but, in my opinion, disappointing as far as its portrayal of women is concerned. And is The Vanishing Point film you’re referring to this one?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2551978/
Indeed Rabbit Proof does not have much to do with “therapeutic” walking (though it is about finding freedom, of course) and “first-world problems” and instead focuses on racial discrimination and the rights of first nation people/human rights. One of the many interesting things about Tracks is that it did not shy away from this issue (Mr Eddy, what a great character), despite its focus on a white woman, which is what brought the two films (and also Walkabout) together, in my view.
Thanks again
Yes, that’s the Vanishing Point I was talking about. It might not fit your criteria, but it’s well worth a look to see if that’s the case. Being Caribou is another one, but the woman is not alone. She is with her mate but her voice is a dominant and the trip she takes is arduous following a caribou herd for incredible distances. But since you include Walkabout (what a great film) it might fit.
There are not that many films in the area you are exploring so it’s interesting to see what you finally see and how many fit your bill. It’s a very interesting topic.
Thank you Joe for another great suggestion. At some point I did consider including some films dealing with walking and/or religious pilgrimage on St James’s way in Spain (some with great landscape cinematography) but yet again, I failed to find examples with significant female leads except for a Spanish film about the first known woman pilgrim. However, to this date, I have been unable to locate this film. Pity. The Hunger Games was another interesting option mainly because of its tremendous popularity but landscape was not used in such a significant way and Katniss is, after all, forced into participating in the survival contest. It is not a question of choice for her
Joseph, thanks for asking these questions, and Virgina, thanks for responding. That provides some useful context on films dealing with related issues.
Hi Virginia! Thanks for a really interesting talk. I have not seen Tracks, but I enjoyed Wild quite a bit when it first came out. I might have a more critical stance watching it now, especially given, as you say, Cheryl’s ultimate bourgeois identity. Although marriage and motherhood are surely not anti-feminist inherently, it did strike me as a “domesticating” move, ending the film with this love plot that might have been left out. I’m also fascinated by the way these two films are marketed. The trailer for Wild focuses quite a bit on Cheryl’s relationships with men (“You’re sleeping with anyone who asks…”) and at least some of the posters for Tracks show a man gently touching the protagonist’s face. I wonder if you had looked at the gendered marketing of these films? I also wonder if you are interested in the racialization of women’s adventure narratives– that is, their overwhelming whiteness? I teach this article about a black woman’s experience hiking the Appalachian Trail if you’re interested: https://www.outsideonline.com/2170266/solo-hiking-appalachian-trail-queer-black-woman
Thanks again for a great talk!
Hi Kristen
Thank you so much for your interest in my talk and your kind words. And thank you for sending me that piece about race and the outdoors. A true eye opener. It reminded me of the amazing story of biker Bessie Stringfield. Reading that piece by Rahawa Haile (“You’re African, not black-black. Blacks don’t hike”; “100 years of getting away from it all.” The parenthetical is implied if not obvious: for some”; “Outdoor skills were a matter of survival for black people before they became a form of exclusion”) got me thinking not only about race relations, the wilderness and US History more generally but also about the ways in which a lot of neglected people in countries with a predominantly urban population are excluded from enjoying the outdoors/wilderness. Often, recreational outdoor activities are just for meant to be enjoyed by “the haves” and only some of us are privileged enough to be able to go for walks, let alone a 2,000-mile trek, etc.
But going back to the racialized aspects of the films, both Brian Taves and Richard Dyer have dealt with the overwhelming presence of white men in adventure narratives. I mentioned this briefly in the talk. White women are generally marginalised and so are non-whites. However, Tracks does focus on racial issues quite a bit. Although the main character is “very” white the film portrays first nation people in many interesting ways and Robyn only manages to cross the desert thanks to an elder’s help (and precisely because of his close bond to the land). Wild, in contrast, is a very “white” film in this sense although it does deal with other forms of disadvantage and exclusion.
As for the films’ marketing, I think that in a way the Wild trailer does justice to the significance of men in the narrative. Sheryl is a nymphomaniac after all and becomes involved with quite a few of them. As for Tracks, although there is a poster featuring Adam Driver (the one on IMDB, actually), the DVD/Blue Ray covers feature Mia Wasikowska instead. So I think it’s just a question of exploiting Driver’s presence now that he’s become more well known, don’t you think?
Thanks again Kristen
Thanks so much for the thorough response, Virginia! I love what you said about the class dimension of “recreation” and the ways in which urban populations, and the marginalized generally, are excluded from both the imagery and experience of “the outdoors.” Although the city is its own kind of ecology and still a part of Nature, it seems absolutely true that the ability to “get out there” (and oh my word, the gear! I would love to attempt a long distance hike, but the gear is so expensive– and one probably shouldn’t go “cheap” on survival items) is classed. I wonder if someone could do today what Cheryl Strayed did, given the blasted American economy and a heightened sense of danger (I don’t see hitchhikers here in Ithaca, at least). There’s also the phenomenon– made fun of in some film or TV show (Parks and Rec?), though I can’t remember which– of white women taking to the PCT post-Wild viewing (and the overcrowding of the trail, to detrimental environmental effect). And yet, there seems to me to be some sexism in this: making a joke out of women being inspired to hike. (I’ve yet to see a similar sketch about Walden-inspired men.) I am with your reading of these films as problematic (what isn’t?) but also important and worth taking seriously as potentially ecofeminist.
Oh right! Adam Driver– Kylo Ren with the long flowing hair– is an excellent marketing tool. 🙂
No hitch-hiking around here either! But Strayed always felt she was a bigger danger to herself than anybody she met on the trail or the road.
Regarding the overcrowding of the PCT, I was rather concerned about listening, in one of the DVD extras, to the park’s managers themselves, so eager for the trail to become more and more popular among hikers and tourists as a result of the film. Now I can see the marketing worked 🙁
Hi
Thank you for your engaging presentation. I especially appreciated your exploration of the ways nature and society are co-constructed. Thank you for complicating ecofeminist approaches like those of Vandana Shiva. Your background in geography lends an intriguing approach to place and connections with the Global South in Miyazaki’s films. Your work brought to mind the work of Mike Davis andChristopher Schliephake, as well as notions of the bio city like that explored by Jon Christenson and Ursula Heise or an eco-city like that of Michael Lynch. How do you see geography intersecting with ecofeminism in the Miyazaki films you explore?
Hi Virginia,
This is Joe’s co-writer, Robin, and I too appreciated your exploration of women’s survival narratives. As you were reading, I kept thinking of the indigenous films we’ve been watching with female protagonists seeking home, such as Rhymes for Young Gouls (as well as the films Joe mentioned). How fun to read about the Westward the Women reenactment. Meeks Cutoff is my favorite update (only liked by select students, I’m afraid). As a student, I enjoyed road trip women’s survival films like Leaving Normal (1992)–a more positive outcome than Thelma and Louise. Your mention of Hunger Games highlights the prevalence of female protagonists in YA dystopian films (adaptations). Would this sub-genre be of interest for your work? Thank you again!
Hello Robin
Thanks for your interest in my paper and apologies again for my late reply. For some reason I cannot post comments from my laptop. Not sure why.
I am truly mystified as to why your students should not like Meek’s Cutoff. It’s so difficult not to like this film! About YA films, I have to admit I am not such a big fan of SF, whether of the YA variety or not, but the genre is always worth watching. In particular, The Hunger Games (or Divergent, for that matter) is significant precisely because of its popularity both among young male and female audiences (your students possibly liked this film much better than Reichardt’s) despite (or because of?) the presence of a female lead, which is a rarity in SF. I think Katniss/Jennifer Lawrence is the film’s strongest asset and I believe her star persona manages to attract both young men and women to this narrative. Brereton provides a good reading of this film in Environmental Ethics and Film (2015) in terms of gender, race and ecofeminism.
Thank you again
Thank you, Virginia!
Many students found it too “slow.” Some of the film production students in the class, though, loved it and gleaned some techniques from it.
Hi Rayma:
Thanks for your reading of Miyazaki. You are adding to the interest that people in our field shouldgive to his work. How do you feel the films you describe align with the way the director’s work in graphic presentations are presented?Like Disney, his studio is engaged in multiple ways of getting his work and message out there to ever larger audiences.
Hi Ramya, Very interesting talk! Thank you for sharing! I read Marisol Cortez’s essay on Spirited Away awhile ago, but her reading of that film has always stuck with me: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14688417.2005.10589005. I wonder what you think about the spectral elements of Miyazaki’s films, the ‘ghostly matters’ to borrow from Avery Gordon, and how that connects to an ecofeminist reading of the films?
Hi Virginia, Great talk! A lot of my research focuses on representations of white masculinity in ecomedia, and so its really nice to hear about, be connected to films that center women’s narratives. I did see Wild, but I haven’t see Tracks – I should now! I’m wondering what you think of the trope of nature healing bodies, or the relationship between nature, mental health/disability that appears in Wild, and if it matters that the protoganist is female (versus how this trope might play out in other films). And, I think about this trope a bit in the way that it appears in a film like WALL-E too, where returning to/re-connecting with Edenic nature seemingly heals the bodies of the disabled humans on the Spaceship Axiom. Does this trope appear in Tracks at all? Thanks so much!
Hi Michelle
Thank you for your interest in my talk. I have also done a lot of work on the representation of white masculinity in action/adventure films so for me it was refreshing to pay more attention to those forever overlooked women. Regarding your question about healing and nature, this is a trope that harks back to the romantics, transcendentalism, etc. and still resonates with many of us. I am a firm believer in the therapeutic value of nature and walking. I regularly practice walking meditation, in the outdoors, or just in a city park, to relieve stress and I definitely recommend it. This trope is also present in Tracks, although it is true that Robyn’s motivations are not as clearly delineated as in Wild. Good to hear that you explore similar connections, even if your focus is on physical disability.
In terms of whether it matters that the protagonist is a female, I would probably say no, it doesn’t. Penn’s Into the Wild is in many ways similar to Wild and it features a male protagonist in search of a new male identity. Grizzly Man is another interesting film in this respect I guess. And I’m also thinking about Kings of Summer, Captain Fantastic, Box of Moonlight, Mosquito Coast, films which I’ve also been considering lately for different reasons. So my gut feeling is that there is a lot to say about all these “escape to nature films” in terms of masculinity. However, a lot of these men are dead by the end of the narrative so that would be an interesting thing to think about…
Thanks again
Virginia — I really loved your talk — I think we share interests in gender and genre, the issue of the “Action Babe,” the action-adventure film, etc. I am happy you mentioned The Shallows as part of the women-centered survival movie tradition — it is that, fused with a monster movie (i.e., the relentlessly stalking / attacking shark). I see the ending of The Shallows — Nancy reconciled with her father, assuming her proper bourgeois identity as an M.D. and a surrogate mother to her sister Chloe — in the same way you discuss Cheryl’s bourgeois transformation at the end of Wild.
I am a fan of Witherspoon in general and am teaching Wild in my upcoming fall ecocinema course. Perhaps you are familiar with Kathleen Rowe Karlyn’s work on the meaning(s) of Reese Witherspoon’s stardom in her book Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers (U Texas Press, 2011)? Karlyn writes of the (third wave-feminist) edge and ambivalence at the heart of Witherspoon’s star image from her earliest beginnings (in films like Freeway and Election) up through the Walk the Line / Rendition era. Though written before Wild came out, I think Karlyn’s insights about Witherspoon bear on the latter’s portrayal of Cheryl.
To your list of women-centered survival films I would also add the Maryl Streep starrer The River Wild (1994), which David Ingram analyzes at length in his excellent chapter on gender in wilderness films in Green Screen (U. Exeter Press, 2000).
Sorry for the typo, that’s Meryl Streep of course. And again, I really loved your talk — it brings together so many important analytical strands to make a great interpretive case for these two movies.
Hi Carter
I’m glad you liked the talk. Yes, I’ve read Rowe Karlyn’s analysis of Whiterspoon’s persona and really liked it, especially the white trash aspects that she highlights (Freeway sounds like an interesting film that I might be able to use) and in an extended version of the talk I hope to incorporate some kind of reading of the character in terms of star persona analysis.
As for The River Wild (Deliverance meets the Reagan/Bush nuclear family crusade, don’t you think?), I agree with Ingram that it is very disappointing to have Roarke vindicate his dad’s role at the end of the film. His role is not half as important as Gail’s! What a great character and performance. I wish we all had mums like her!!!
Thanks Carter!
Hi Virginia:
You must see Freeway. Hilarious.
I will, most definitely. Thanks
Virginia, I appreciated your strong presentation; good attention to those films.
It was interesting to watch this after watching the presentation at this conference on “The Revenant” – while that one highlighted how the male protagonist sought to conquer hostile nature, these films present quite different perspectives. (Although Glass, too, sometimes pauses to notice the beauty.)
It seems to me that rather than pose a ‘(hu)man vs. nature’ opposition, the main threats in “Wild” come from 1. other humans (and even more thoughtfully, these are no random adversaries; the danger they pose reflects larger sociopolitical tensions), and 2. from aspects of Strayed herself (such as how she deals with grief) which she finds challenging or dangerous.
(On a smaller note, I liked the reference to ‘hairiness’ – striking detail about the materiality of human bodies.)
Hi jefffilipiak
Thank you for your feedback. I am intrigued by this comment of yours: “the danger they pose reflects larger sociopolitical tensions”. Could you elaborate a bit on this, as I’m not sure what you’re referring to and would like to explore that a bit further.
Regarding hairiness (or even smelliness), I loved that too! It’s no small detail and it makes such a big statement about the construction of femininity in Hollywood cinema!
Thanks again!
Virginia,
Sorry I was not clearer on that point.
What I meant was this: in a lot of films, the plot conflict is driven by an antagonist or threat who is identified as dangerous for reasons largely about personality, or an abstract choice to ‘do evil’. (The antagonist in “The Revenant” becomes a threat to Glass not because there is a larger social tension that divides him and Glass; the antagonist is basically just cruel.)
On the other hand, a key threat to Strayed is the danger of sexual assault from a male she encounters. He doesn’t just represent the dangers posed by an individual’s choice; he also demonstrates a systemic danger which women face at the hands of those men who use violence to control women. So that incident helps us understand broader tensions in society.
Ramya, I enjoyed your talk. I have watched “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away” regularly in the past few years – both for the beauty, Mononoke in particular for the themes. (I have read Nausicaä, but need to see the film too.)
I wanted to comment on a few aspects of your interpretation of Lady Eboshi’s plotline. As you clarify later, Eboshi doesn’t only care about industry and prosperity. Something I appreciate about the film is that it offers her a social justice vision along with her exploitation of nature. She offers opportunities – and good ones – for members of oppressed groups, demonstrating her multi-faceted character.
You made an interesting point about how she is punished at the end, limiting her agency. I wonder, though, if there’s not an irony here; the destruction is *not* because of her actions exploiting nature; it is because she supported (apparently because of an earlier deal) male efforts to kill the Forest Spirit. She in a sense submits to authority by going on the hunt (although again, this could be seen as more transactional – her fulfilling her part of an earlier bargain). But at the end, she compromises with nature, not to humans. (This feels more like compromise than submission to me, although I see your point.) She continues to resist male political authority (as the Jigo’s disparaging comment at end makes clear), and will remain in control of her autonomous town.