Op-ed by a Male Feminist: Actually, These Five Oscar-Nominated Movies ARE About Women

It’s about that time of year again: trophy season—and I’m not talk- ing about hot wives! This year more than ever, there have been complaints about how the Oscar noms for best picture seem heavily tilted towards movies that solely feature male narratives. Well, as a Male Feminist, I’m here to explain loudly and over the voices of others why these five Oscar nominated movies should not be ridiculed, and how they actually place women at the forefront.

The Irishman

You could choose to regard The Irishman as not very feminist considering its 3 and 1/2 hour runtime includes no woman speaking for more than 30 seconds—but technically, this is untrue. The Irishman made headlines for its $150 million budget, mainly devoted to CGI effects used to make its actors look younger. But what they don’t tell you in the news that The Irishman actually stars Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, and Betty White with very good CGI that makes them appear as Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is true. It’s what I choose to believe anyway, and #MyBodyMyChoice. 

Ford v Ferrari

I don’t know about you, but one of the ways I show women respect is by gendering my property as female. Like my boat, the Sea-Men Guzzler. She is a beaut. Anyway, applying this same logic, we can safely assume this movie is full of female characters, as it is full of cars.

1917

“Another narrative about white men. WhErE are all the WoMeN?” Uh, hello?! They’re in the photographs that the heroic white male soldiers occasionally carry around with them. I see you, ladies (and side note—a smile wouldn’t hurt)! 

Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood

Why focus on this movie’s adoration of male artists who engage in violence towards women? Why focus on how this aligns with Tarantino’s own background as a male artist accused of abusive behavior towards women? As a Male Feminist, I of course choose to focus on this film’s stellar portrayal of female independence: there’s a boundary-breaking scene where Margot Robbie goes to the movies alone. OUATIH is eye opening in the sense that it shows women can do some things, like go to a movie. To the best of my knowledge, I believe they can also fold stuff. 

Joker

Alright, so there’s probably no real way to argue that this movie tells a woman’s story, but I’d like to argue against condemning Joker for being “akin to an incel training manual.” What, so we’re discriminating against incels now? A true feminist supports the equality of the sexes, an umbrella that encompasses incels. As a Male Feminist, I have no choice but to support a movie that supports the equality of the sexes, incels included. 

Honorable Mention: Little Women

Look, I’m a huge supporter of women (when it’s convenient for me), and that includes supporting female directors like Greta Gerwig. However, I can’t abide by this anti-feminist film. Now, I haven’t seen this movie because its topics aren’t interesting or relevant to me, but I can tell from the title that it is problematic. “Little” Women? Talk about setting an unfair standard about female bodies. Call me progressive, but in my mind, a woman doesn’t need to be “little.” I have no trouble accepting all women, whether they’re little or whether they’re big fat lards.