One woman's take on "Dunkirk" here. No surprise, really. To expect a feminist to appreciate the silence of men and resolute determination that spells the difference between victory and defeat, life and death, is a bit much to ask. In fact I'd've been surprised at anything other than this. Still, seeing at least some number of women devalue and dismiss the experiences of men at war does have this positive effect: it diminishes the reinforcing effect that women traditionally have had on men going willingly into mass violence events that cost them life, limb, and sanity. Anything that discourages that has some virtue, in its own way. Excerpt:
'But my main issue with Dunkirk is that it's so clearly designed for men to man-out over. And look, it's not like I need every movie to have "strong female leads." Wonder Woman can probably tide me over for at least a year, and I understand that this war was dominated by brave male soldiers. I get that. But the packaging of the film, the general vibe, and the tenor of the people applauding it just screams "men-only"—and specifically seems to cater to a certain type of very pretentious man who would love nothing more than to explain to me why I'm wrong about not liking it. If this movie were a dating profile pic, it would be a swole guy at the gym who also goes to Harvard. If it was a drink it would be Stumptown coffee. If it was one of your friends, it would be the one who starts his sentences with "I get what you're saying, but..."'
