This Changes Everything is a documentary film about the gender inequality and discrimination within the media and entertainment industry. Thanks to the appearance and involvement of a considerable number of A-list actresses and filmmakers, the documentary dives headfirst on discussing both the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of narrating real women’s experiences in the media. It also explores the underestimation of women’s talents and contribution to the media based on interviews full of retellings, anecdotes, historical facts, statistics and data analysis.
The film begins discussing the importance of media in the conception of a young mind. As we grow older, we are influenced by the images we see: who is telling the story, what they’re saying, what their values are and what they care about. We believe that the stories we see on the big screens are important and worth telling, which is why a singular storyteller perspective can become so harmful. Women in Hollywood have been subjected to follow a single storyline created by a person, often a cisgender and heterosexual white man, who doesn’t understand the complexities of any type of life besides his own. This is what many actresses divulge on when they speak about the roles they are forced to play in films and TV shows. Women are put through the consequences of the male gaze, which shapes the way that females have been historically seen by men. Data shows the astonishing entertainment industry’s gender gap and the number of unimportant roles always acquainted to women. For a long time, the best stories have been male-centered and women have always been the sidekick , love interest or “other.” This documentary pushes to fight against the status quo and emphasizes the importance of equal opportunity and representation of all types of stories told by all types of people. For this reason, it is extremely disappointing to find out that this eye opening documentary was directed by a man, Tom Donahue.
In the most blatant display of irony to ever exist: the film about the lack of trust and possibilities for women in Hollywood, especially directors, is directed by a man. Although this detail is extremely perplexing, I will not take away the fact that this film is definitely important for our culture and society’s understanding of this phenomenon.
Certainly, the most impactful and infuriating part of this film are the recollections of horrible discrimination and pushback actresses and filmmakers have experienced from working in this industry. For instance, Chloe Grace Morets was objectified as a young woman, and forced to wear “chicken cutlets,” a silicone bra insert that creates the illusion of larger breasts. Furthermore, Kimberly Pierce was not able to produce a single film for nine years, after her critically acclaimed film Boys Don’t Cry, which earned Hillary Swank an Oscar award for Best Actress. Women directors occupy less than 16% of the members of the Directors Guild of America. The inequality within the American film industryーparticularly Hollywoodーis blatant, full of chauvinism and machismo “superiority.”
The retelling of women’s first encounter with representation, however, adds hope to the female general experience with Hollywood. Sandra Oh and Tiffany Haddish speak on how impactful it was to see a person like them on the big screen in a way they had never seen them before. Stories like Thelma and Louise, Grey’s Anatomy and Wonder Woman speak from and to the female perspective. All of these captivated a huge audience because of their realistic interpretations of a woman’s story without the need to accommodate a chauvinistic portrayal in order to obtain a good reception.
Perhaps the highlight of this documentary is the importance of telling a story in the correct way, of projecting our reality onto films and creating a broad spectrum of ways to live and think. This way we are able to show young girls, boys and children that their cultures, identities and visions do matter. By doing so, we perpetuate the idea that their possibilities are endless and that what they see is truthful and realistic.
Even with its flaws and juxtapositions, this film is definitely a step in the right direction. By bringing visibility to countless silent struggles and data that shows just how much unfairness women suffer in this industry, we raise awareness and consciousness, enabling us to hold all of them accountable. A film that shows representation matters, matters. Flaws and all.