One of the more interesting aspects of international film is the presentation of common ideas that are shared by different cultures. One such interesting pair is the Latin American film Nine Queens by Fabián Bielinsky and the American film Ocean’s 13 by Steven Soderbergh. The smooth criminal characters and similar plot lines are pretty apparent. However, a more profound comparison can be found when one analyzes the feminine aspects of each film. Although both casts are male dominated, the female character’s role in each film is important. Here the audience finds the similar cultural themes and the different aspects of each country’s view of women.
Female characters in Ocean’s 13 are few and far between (ignoring the extras who frequent the casinos). In fact, Todd McCarthy of Variety magazine only mentions a female cast member once in his entire review of the film. While this gender void is disrespectful and demeaning in itself, it does make an effective analysis easier. The fact that only one woman was cast in a mildly important role supports the old American belief that women “should be seen but not heard.” Some may argue that this statement only applies to this particular movie, and that women do have a big role in American film. However, it seems that Hollywood is only trying to please some of the more radical feminists by giving them middle tier roles and a few lines to say. The only female role mentionable in Oceans’s 13 is that of Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin), Bank’s number two in the casino. At first, Soderbergh pays tribute to the beauty of women by centering the camera on Sponder with a low angle shot to show that she is in control. She keeps a tight leash around Bank’s casinos through discipline and punishment. Although she is presented as a tough obstacle because she is so mentally strong, the boys know she has one weakness: sex. Soderbergh shows the viewer a theme unique to American film. This mentally powerful but morally weak woman stems from the American male’s desire to be in control and fits the classic patriarchal society. Once Sponder finds that she has been duped, she loses her composure and cannot understand how it happened. She seems overwhelmed and can’t recover due to the fact that everyone in the room – each of them male – knows that she succumbed to the temptation of sex. Not a minute later, Sponder is rushed off screen and we only see her one more time when Ocean is flying away with the diamonds. I think the underlying theme here is that women are tools for men to use and then throw away when they are done with them. This is another prime example of women’s weakness which strengthens the American man’s faith in his patriarchal society. One day women may have the majority of important roles in film. However, until that day comes, women must submit to the will of the stereotypical American male.
Nine Queens is like a breath of fresh air compared to Ocean’s. Although neither of the girls have primary roles, they are both powerful and in control of their lives. There is a grey area though: in the scene where Marcos gets his sister to “sleep” with the man he is making a deal with (Vidal Gandolfo). However, the viewer must realize that Valeria made this decision in order to fix a money problem within their family. She could have just as easily walked away from the sticky situation. The fact that Valeria has a choice in her decision presents a character that is foreign to the average American moviegoer: the mentally and morally powerful woman. Further supporting this point is the fact that each woman that Juan and Marcos meet are involved in Juan’s elaborate scheme to cheat Marcos out of his money. Marcos appears to be in power for the entire movie, but at the end he has the rug pulled out from under him by his own sister; the viewer cannot help gaining respect towards women. However, there is a dark side to Bielinsky’s portrayal of women. The two women involved in the plot, Marcos’ sister and “the avaricious widow who owns the ‘nine queens’ and her much younger bleached-blond boyfriend”, are somehow connected with sex in a negative fashion (Ebert 4). Valeria is asked to have sex with a total stranger and agrees to do it “…if she can share in the spoils”, though the viewer later learns that she didn’t go through with it. The old woman has a huge hoard of money and uses it to buy a young man who follows her every wish; a thing that American’s rarely see in Hollywood films. By showing presenting these ideas to the viewer, Bielinsky shows that Latin American women do not have enough self-respect. It is impossible for one to know if these themes are common in Latin American films if this is the only one that he or she has watched. However, another famous Latin American director, Marta Rodríguez, has produced many films in which women are the primary role and are looking to increase their place in society (Dennis et al 4). Thus, the role of women in Latin American films is more important and familiar to people in countries like Argentina, Columbia, etc. If Hollywood and the rest of America wish to make any progress in elevating the status of women in society, this would be a perfect template to use.
As we have seen, both movies send mixed messages about women and their role in American and Latin American society. Although Bielinsky’s Nine Queens is nicer to women than Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 13, they both connect women to sex. One of the more interesting aspects of both films was the fact that, when introduced, the female character was shown in the middle of the frame, with the focus on her, and was shot at a low angle. This leads the viewer to believe that both directors were trying to focus on the female characters’ beauty instead of the part that they were playing. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, it is interesting that both films, and therefore both cultures, admire feminine beauty. Women have always struggled to gain power in society. In some cases, they have been more successful, as in Latin America, while in others, they still have a long way to go. These small differences in the portrayal of women emphasize the difference between American society and others. Moviegoers can learn from them and change America’s view on ways to get more out of life and film in general. The role of women in filmmaking is changing; it should be interesting to see how far their role will go in the coming decade.
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