My Feminism

I remember the brouhaha which erupted after Wendy Kaminer's "questioning" article on feminism's identity crisis in the October, 1993 issue of The Atlantic (now Atlantic Monthly). Judging from the correspondence, you would have thought that the soul of Benedict Arnold had been reborn in the keyboard of Ms. Kaminer. In their latest, filmmakers Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert (Thank God I'm a Lesbian), examine the odd contradiction at feminism's core which Kaminer touched upon: namely, that while many forward-thinking women embrace feminism's goals and ideals, they are also uncomfortable with the word "feminism." Elder and younger stateswomen, including Gloria Steinem (whose eloquence, focus, and quiet fire continue to make her one of the most compelling social voices of our day), bell hooks, Judy Rebick, Urvsahi Vaid and others offer their views on a variety of issues which, rightly or wrongly, have fallen under the umbrella term, feminism: gender, power, race, contraception, abortion, equal compensation, breast cancer, female circumcision, rape, poverty and more. At its best, My Feminism reminds us that the core concept of equality is still the prize eyed by women all around the world. At its worst, the film underscores the fact that feminism is also an ideology, a political system of ideas promoting some debatable concepts as rigid truths (on the abortion issue, for example, regardless of one's position--and the interviewees here stand on one side only--the wider implication has always been that a potential father's input into the decision is ultimately irrelevant). And, from the what-the-hell-was-that-all-about dept., the continual reappearance of a naked babe swimming in a pool struck me as both gratuitous and--given the subject matter--more than a little incongruous. Still, all things considered, My Feminism does precisely what it should: provoke thought on one of the biggest overdue social revolutions in history. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)