Women Speak Out

A hit and miss documentary of the 4th Annual United Nation's International Women's Forum that took place in Huairou & Beijing, China in the summer of 1995. I say "hit" because the conference was attended by 30,000 women from 189 countries all sharing the same concerns--inequality, discrimination, the uneven distribution of political and economical power, universal health problems, etc. The issues literally go on and on...and that's some of the "miss." Technically, the program passes minimal video standards but the real problem here is that even with the occasional subtitle or voice-over interpreter, the viewer is struggling to comprehend a catalog of grievances and concerns from dozens of women without (literally) understanding what's being said. A wonderful idea that sadly loses something in the translation. An optional purchase for libraries specializing in women's studies. Aud: C. (N. Plympton)