Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
A. G. Lawler: “‘Films for Humanity:’ De-victimization of the Female in At Five in the Afternoon and The Milk of Sorrow” addresses the need for a new type of representation of women within film. The conventional filmic narrative all too often reduces women to helpless or powerless victims. Such traditional depictions are problematic and do not provide accurate or truthful portrayals of how women understand and adapt to the circumstances around them. In my article, I argue that Samira Makhmalbaf’s At Five in the Afternoon (Panj é asr, 2003) and Claudia Llosa’s The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada, 2009) redefine the concept of victimization on-screen and thus provide the world with a new, respectful way of representing not only women, but underrepresented groups and voices as well.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
AGL: My article mainly relies on a detailed filmic analysis of the narratives present within At Five in the Afternoon and The Milk of Sorrow, and how I believe these narratives create new forms of women’s agency within cinema. Since my argument involved discussing female victimization and vulnerability, I sought the ideas of feminist scholar Erinn Gilson in order to briefly define what victimization is when it comes to cinema and media. Additionally, my article has a very feminist approach and focuses on two films by women, about women, therefore, I utilized ideas and research from female scholars within feminist and film studies to help support my argument.
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
AGL: I originally wrote this article as a final paper for a senior seminar course, titled Contemporary Cinefeminisms: World Cinema and the Woman Cineaste. This course introduced students to a variety of films created by women from different locations around the globe. I was really inspired by all the films screened in this course and how each of them represented unique national and transnational concerns. The final assignment for the course required choosing one or more of the films screened during the semester and forming an argument around cinematic elements (visual style, narrative, etc.) and/or sociocultural aspects (globalization, issues involving representation, and so on). I loved the ways in which both The Milk of Sorrow and At Five in the Afternoon not only turned the traditional narrative of women’s representation on-screen on its head, but also how these films chose to represent trauma, hardship, and women’s oppression on the screen. As a result, I decided to form my final essay around these two films.
FM: What does your writing process look like?
AGL: My writing process has changed a lot over the years. I used to be very loose with my writing process, but I think the many essays that I’ve had to write for different college courses have really helped me to organize my process. For example, before college, I never used to make outlines unless I had to as part of the given assignment; I usually just preferred to arrange my thoughts and ideas in my head. However, I found out later on that outlines really help me to organize my ideas and see how I can create a well-organized paper. Before I make an outline, though, my first step is usually to pick a topic that I am interested in. I’ll think about what potential questions I might want to focus my research on to try and narrow down the broad topic into something that I can cover in a paper. The stage where I form my thesis is something that varies depending on what I am researching and how concrete of an idea I have about what I want to write about. If I have very solid research questions and topics that I want to analyze, then I will form a thesis very early on in the writing process and let that thesis determine what types of sources I want to search for and include. Sometimes, however, I have a topic in mind, but I am not really sure where to take it from there. In this case, I’ll start searching for sources and let the information that I find guide me in a certain direction or toward a certain thesis. When I write about films, I also tend to create detailed notes and write down certain timestamps for scenes that I might potentially want to discuss. This helps me a lot when it comes to writing the final paper.
FM: How have your personal experiences shaped and influenced your writing?
AGL: I think watching a lot of films and studying a field that has very global connections and impacts has shaped my writing a lot. I have been exposed to a lot of different cultures, ideas, and ways of viewing the world through the film studies courses I have taken, and it has helped me to question and broaden my own perceptions. I have noticed over the years that I tend to be drawn to certain topics when it comes to writing. Specifically, I have seen multiple issues with the way that we represent certain groups and people not only in films but within other media as well, and I think that’s why I like to write about these topics so much. I also have read a lot of scholarly articles because of film studies, and I have been exposed to a lot of different styles of writing. I have always used these pieces as examples of how to structure and write my own essays. I would take mental notes on what I liked – or didn’t like – about the author’s style and their way of presenting their opinions, and I would use their articles as inspiration for how I wanted to present my own writing. Writing is an art form, even writing in the academic sense; ultimately, it’s an extension of your beliefs and the way you view the world. That is why cultivating one’s own personal style and voice is important.
FM: What are your methods for finding diverse and relevant sources?
AGL: My methods for finding diverse and relevant sources rely a lot on keywords and utilizing research tools related to diversity, gender, and cultural studies that I have available to me. UNCW has access to many great databases and resources that focus on diversity, global issues, and providing research and writing from marginalized voices. Whenever I had to write a paper in the past, I would look through these databases and find ones that contained content related to the topic I was researching at the time. When it comes to actually searching a database for content, using the database’s “advanced search” features and specific keywords really goes a long way. Conducting “advanced searches” helps to control what types of content appear in your searches. For example, what time period the sources are from, what language they are written in, the field of study they are associated with, what type of content the database will search for (books, journal articles, dissertations, newspapers, interviews, etc.), and more. Also, trying multiple different keyword combinations across multiple searches helps to find content that may appear as a result of one combination as opposed to the others.
FM: Why is including marginalized voices in research important to you?
AGL: Everyone in the world has different experiences in life and that’s what makes this world so interesting and diverse. If we only highlight Western and non-marginalized voices in academic research and writing, then as a society we are completely cutting out and ignoring these different experiences and we are limiting ourselves. We need marginalized voices to gain a complete understanding of not only history, but also life itself. That’s why it is even more important to highlight these voices in film studies. Media is universal. Therefore, it is highly influential. Incorporating and recognizing marginalized voices in both research and in films themselves will help to make this world a more understanding place, provided that we are also willing to listen to what has to be said.
FM: What aspects of the writing process were most challenging? Why?
AGL: One challenging aspect of writing this paper actually occurred during the editing/review process. I draw upon multiple female authors for my paper’s sources; however, it was suggested to me by my paper’s peer reviewers to seek out additional voices from female Peruvian and Iranian authors in order to further strengthen my arguments, since the films I analyze are from Peruvian and Iranian directors. This was a problematic gap within my paper that I hadn’t considered beforehand, so I decided to conduct further research. Since my article was already written at this stage, the challenge came with finding authors/works from these global regions that would contribute additional material to my article without my argument becoming repetitive. I wanted to make sure I included these voices in a way that not only furthered my article’s discussion but that also did not misinterpret the author’s original meaning, especially since some of the sources I found deal with complex concepts that span multiple disciplines.
FM: What’s a resistance point you hit in your writing, and how did you move past it?
AGL: Going off my response to the previous question, a resistance point that I hit in my writing was finding additional authors who were of Peruvian or Iranian descent who were discussing topics relevant to my essay. I did find a few relevant articles from authors who are from different locations in Latin America and the Middle East, and I decided to incorporate some of their ideas into my work.
FM: What do you enjoy most about your article?
AGL: I think the elements I enjoy most about my article are the structure and the topic. To be honest, this article is probably one of the better pieces of writing I have written. I remember looking back at the essay I wrote for one of the first film classes I took and it was amazing to see just how much my writing has improved over the years. I was able to really structure my thoughts well into different specific sections with this essay, so I would say I am proud of the readability. I also enjoy that I am comparing two very unique and powerful films that have such a perspective-changing narrative. It excites me to think that filmmakers are creating a new type of cinema that is challenging the old ways of depiction.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
AGL: The peer feedback that I received really helped me to add crucial information to my article. I was able to see exactly where I needed to clarify things, and also what readers may potentially be interested in hearing more about. As previously mentioned, it was during the editorial stage that I was encouraged to incorporate additional women’s voices, and I am grateful for this suggestion and opportunity to include additional marginalized voices in my work.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
AGL: I hope my article can inspire others to look further into both The Milk of Sorrow and At Five in the Afternoon, regardless of whether or not they have already seen these films. I personally enjoy these amazing films and I think there is so much to learn from them; they are so perspective changing. I hope that the topics I discuss in my article will excite people to explore films and scholarship from other countries and from marginalized voices, and maybe even inspire people to create their own films to share their unique knowledge with others. This brings to light something that I touch upon in my article – the issues represented in these films are human problems that include everyone. Not just victims; not just women. Everyone. We all share the responsibility, whether it be through creating media, consuming media, spreading media and ideas, we all contribute to how human issues are represented in society. If my article and the voices that I cite can help to challenge the norms, inspire others, or shift one person’s perspective on these topics, then that is powerful.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
AGL: The Film Studies department at UNCW fosters diversity and growth. I was exposed to many foreign films and many different viewpoints during my undergraduate studies, and that has helped me, and I think many other students as well, to foster an open-minded approach to the study and creation of films. Additionally, the department’s focus on both film scholarship and film production allows students to become well-versed in both aspects of the film studies field.
FM: How has your faculty mentor fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
AGL: Although she was unable to directly mentor my paper due to her busy schedule, I owe my thanks to Dr. Priyadarshini Shanker. It was Priya who suggested that I publish this essay. I originally wrote this paper for her Contemporary Cinefeminisms class and I am grateful for the feedback she provided at many points during the writing process. If I had not taken that class, I would not have been introduced to the two powerful films that I analyze within my essay, and I would also not have been exposed to any of the other great films and ideas that were discussed in that course. I appreciate the knowledge and the experience that I gained because of her course teachings.
FM: What advice do you have for undergraduate film and media scholars?
AGL: My advice for undergraduate film and media scholars is to follow what sparks curiosity and interest within you, and don’t be afraid to branch out into interdisciplinary topics. Learn as much as you can about what you enjoy and take into consideration multiple viewpoints. I know it sounds cliché, especially nowadays where following what you enjoy is a movement that is gaining more momentum. With that being said, there is truth behind it. Keep watching films and researching topics that pique your interest. Think critically about the information you find, make connections to other disciplines or subjects, and don’t hesitate to add your beliefs and thoughts to the conversation, whether it be through writing, making your own films, or even creating other forms of art.
FM: What are your future plans?
AGL: In terms of my post-undergraduate life and career, I currently don’t have any specific plans. I am not yet sure if I want to go fully into the film industry or if I want to branch off into another field. For now, my plans are to keep growing my online art business, keep watching films, and keep learning as much as I can. I have begun taking interest in other art forms such as music production and music videos, so perhaps that will lead me somewhere I didn’t expect further on down the road.
Author Biography
A. G. Lawler received her bachelor’s degree in film studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) in 2022. Her hope is to one day express her creativity not only through cinema, but through many other art forms as well.
