Photo by Luke Miller on Unsplash Folklore, Fear, and Feminist Lessons from Brave and Beyond Recently, the internet has been ablaze with a strange but telling question: If you had to be alone in the woods, would you rather encounter a man or a bear? Overwhelmingly, women are choosing the bear. Why? Because while a...
Photo by Karollyne Videira Hubert on Unsplash The queer experience is never monolithic. It shifts depending on geography, family, faith, politics, and culture. In Poland, this reality is made visible through contemporary cinema, where filmmakers grapple with questions of identity, secrecy, and survival. Two films in particular—Operation Hyacinth (2021, dir. Piotr Domalewski) and In the...
Photo by Moritz Kindler on Unsplash Michał Witkowski’s Lovetown offers a strikingly unflinching portrait of queer life in Poland at the cusp of monumental political and cultural change. What struck me most while reading was not only the vivid depictions of LGBTQ+ subcultures, but the repeated references to the AIDS crisis—a reminder that this epidemic...
Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash When The Devil Wears Prada hit theaters in 2006, many saw it as a stylish workplace comedy with unforgettable one-liners (“That’s all.”). But beneath the designer gowns and icy glares, the film offers a sharp critique of materialism, gendered workplace culture, and the pressure women face to conform to...
Photo by Ksenia Yakovleva on Unsplash Griffin Dunne’s 1998 cult classic Practical Magic may be remembered for its cozy New England aesthetic, margarita nights, and the irresistible charm of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the Owens sisters—but beneath its whimsical surface, the film is a rich text for exploring gender, sexuality, and feminist resistance....
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy—Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge! (2001)—is an explosion of color, drama, and defiance. Beneath the glitter and spectacle lies something far more radical: a cinematic interrogation of gender, power, and performance. Each film takes a wrecking ball to societal expectations,...
Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001) completes his vibrant Red Curtain Trilogy, following Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Romeo + Juliet (1996). Where Strictly Ballroom embraced dance as its theatrical motif and Romeo + Juliet used heightened Shakespearean language, Moulin Rouge! explodes with music—specifically, the jukebox musical. A pastiche of glamor, melodrama, and spectacle, Moulin Rouge! leans...
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), the second film in his Red Curtain Trilogy, takes Shakespeare’s classic tragedy and throws it into the neon-lit chaos of modern-day Verona Beach. A dazzling blend of high drama, Catholic symbolism, Miami-inspired aesthetics, and MTV-era visuals, Luhrmann’s adaptation retains Shakespeare’s original language while reimagining the feud between the Capulets...
Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 debut film Strictly Ballroom isn’t just about glittery costumes, dramatic dips, and dazzling dance moves—it’s also a rich, satirical take on gender performance, conformity, and resistance. Beneath its comedic flair and theatrical style, the film presents a sharp critique of the gender roles embedded within traditional ballroom dancing and the patriarchal systems...
Photo by Ingo Doerrie on Unsplash The concept of ‘realness’ is a term that is for and against gender norms at the same time. According to the film Paris is Burning, ‘realness’ means to be able to blend and “look like your straight counterpart” (18:43). But what is your straight counterpart? How does one fit...