The famous movie, Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has made history; this incredible movie has become a billion-dollar film in the past couple of months. Along with this news, Greta Gerwig (director) became the first female solo director to surpass the 1 billion dollar benchmark. My favorite part about seeing this film was that viewers showed up at the movie theaters in their favorite pink attire. The Barbie movie follows Barbie and Ken as they go on a journey to the “real world”, however, it has a much deeper message. This film focuses on women’s empowerment and discusses the stereotypes of being a woman in society. Gloria, who meets Barbie in the “real world”, delivers an inspirational speech to stereotypical typical Barbie (Margot Robbie), as well as all of the Barbies.
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.
You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.
But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.
I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
As a woman in society today, this spoke to me on a different level. The reality is that there is a standard that women are expected to uphold, and it has always been that way. The disappointing factor is that there is no resolution to this issue and nothing changed. However, this movie is the perfect example of what our society should be like, and nobody, female or male, should be held to these unrealistic standards. If you have not seen the Barbie movie, I highly recommend it and be prepared to bring tissues.
In contrast to Barbie, Oppenheimer is a historical fiction. It’s a bit of a darker concept than its competitor. The movie follows J Robert Oppenheimer (Cillan Murphy)- the astute brain behind the atomic bomb. The film moves in sequential order beginning when Oppenheimer was in college and ending with him winning the Enrico Fermi award in 1963. Oppenheimer is directed by Christopher Nolan, the director of many successful movies such as Interstellar, Dunkirk, and The Dark Knight. When watching the film, one thing that really stood out to me was the astounding soundtrack. Composed by Ludwig Goransson, Oppenheimer’s soundtrack is powerful. It lifts and drops your anticipation at the perfect moments. This movie could be perceived as boring by some, but there is something for everyone. Whether you’re interested in physics, action, suspense, and even some humor. There’s even some family drama and scandals that happen to keep the audience interested in Oppenheimer’s life- not just the quantum physics part.The cast features many recognizable faces such as Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Josh Harnett, and even Robert Downey Jr. I recommend seeing this film even if you don’t think it is for you.
