Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist’s documentary Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age starts with a warning, informing viewers that scenes of images of violence against women will be shown. It’s understandable considering the documentary’s subject matter—exploring the daily harassment and threats women receive on social media—but it’s another to see the sheer number of casual videos of men discussing how much they hate women, and to read the countless messages the talking head subjects receive.
Backlash details an all-too familiar topic that most people too often ignore. Using a variety of different subjects, Clermont-Dion and Maroist try to examine the whys behind everything, even if it feels like it’s starting in the middle. Brief moments look back at the history of social abuse exhibited to women, but the doc’s breezy 80 minute runtime doesn’t allow much time to the subject. Though they don’t interview abusers they look at how online misogyny is part of a growing trend of anonymous, casual comments made by men online to women, a fact only aided by the dual elections of President Donald Trump.
Four key talking heads are used to open up discussions about the prevalence of online misogyny, emphasizing that no one is immune regardless of race, social or economic position, or age. Laura Boldrini and Kiah Morris lay out the struggles trying to be female politicians in this landscape. Boldrini, elected President of the Chamber of Deputies in Italy, discusses how political opponents in Italy, including a local mayor, took to social media to promote threats of sexual violence against her. Morris, a former member of the House of Representatives for the state of Vermont, had to go so far as to leave town after she was harassed by prominent neo-Nazi supporters in her neighborhood, one of whom the viewer watches attend one of her events.
We see other, average women, also dealing with threats of assault and violence, such as Laurence G., a Canadian teacher who, along with several other students in her university, were harassed by a male student imitating women online. A scene of Laurence teaching young children, around 8-12, about online harassment is heartbreaking in showing how young this type of violence against women starts online. The movie emphasizes that, while local law enforcement are perceived as not taking these events seriously, that there are real-world implications. The story of high schooler Rehtaeh Parsons is shown and how her rape, and the online photos that spread in its wake, ultimately caused her to take her own life.
Backlash is a tough watch, and the violent images and harsh language make this better suited, and a necessity, for those in high school who no doubt have experience with this. The movie brings up a lot of emotions, from anger to sadness, but it’s an ultimately galvanizing story of women refusing to submit or be quiet. “Women are left to fight our own battles everyday, but especially online,” one says. And though this documentary doesn’t offer solutions for the problem, it seeks to bring more awareness on the subject, and educate men and women about how to move through online spaces. Recommended.
Which public library collections should include this women's rights documentary?
Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age is a valuable addition to public libraries in categories like Documentaries About Women’s Issues, Digital Legislation, and Documentary Film Collections. It’s also a complement to media education and film programming focused on gender, women’s history, changes in digital technology, rape culture, political issues affecting women, and social issues. Libraries that license DVDs or digital films from EPF Media would also be wise to consider.
What academic subjects or courses would benefit from this women's rights film?
This documentary supports various subjects including women’s political or social history, Documentary Studies, violence against women, Gender or Women’s Studies. Media libraries curating documentaries focused on history of sexual violence, rape and misogyny, as well as instructors teaching about the evolution of misogyny against women, and the changes in methods, will also find merit in it. It also pairs well and could be supplemented with other documentaries aimed at women’s issues like Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s Miss Representation (2011), Kirby Dick’s The Invisible War (2012) or The Hunting Ground (2015).