I understand the theme is to show the raw
emotions of women and how they cope with struggles and traumatic events that
occur in their lifetime, I also appreciate the cast ( I tip my hat to Thandie
Newton, and I think she had the best performance) however, there were certain
things I could not but disagree with.
Are men the enemy? I believe that there are men out there
who have issues and women are usually the ones who suffer but can we get
statistics please? Is it every man that beats his wife, rapes or cheats? I
found some of the portrayals very unrealistic. It’s ironic that the director of
this movie is male himself. In fact one could come out of the cinema thinking
men are evil and can never change and that’s how most of the male characters
were portrayed. How about the man who stood by his wife even when he found out
the reason she couldn’t have children? His character was much downplayed! Are
we saying such men don’t exist? And if this is the case should society just sit
and fold its arms?
Another thing I could not agree with is the portrayal of
religious people having double standards and this seems to be a trend in modern
movies today. The practice of religion
is now portrayed as an avenue for hypocrites to masks themselves under the
false guise of virtue, fervent Christians are all too often presented as
lunatics and puritans, I strongly disagree. Not every person striving to be
Christian is pharisaic. The fact that one is not perfect and strives for this
is one of the beautiful aspects of being human, that’s what keeps man going,
being motivated to reach ones ideal and if a few people get caught up in a
glass house with a judging look and raised pointed nose, it’s their problem however
those people do not make up the population of true Christians.
Even if one could identify with the hard core truth about
modern black society, the movie portrays the vices of these men as incurable.
The rapist was allowed to get away with his vice by being killed, he was
stabbed but died a rapist, the man who murdered his own children was locked in
prison given the excuse of being a criminal rather than someone who was
probably portrayed as one who had some
mental illness. In
reality, a man who kills his own children out of anger will not be sent to jail
but a psychiatric home, especially one who experiences post-traumatic stress
disorder. He would be placed in a mental hospital and receive therapy, not
immediate jail term.
It’s very sad that abortion is seen as a very easy and
convenient thing to do. I do not believe that it is an easy decision to make
and the option of life is not even considered. I strongly think that one should
always be able to face the consequences of ones actions; one always wants to
have ones cake and eat it. Is being pregnant punishment? Is sexual
irresponsibility to be celebrated?
The vulgarity of the poetry put me off! I do not believe sex
is all about superficial pleasure; it is sacred and should be treated as such.
It was portrayed as a crime and something used by men to exploit women.
Although in some cases it is but how about the good sides? How about a
wonderful and most enjoyable union between two people with equal love for each
other? (This is usually best revered by a husband and wife on a matrimonial
bed).
It is understandable that one’s feelings and experiences are
usually expressed through writing. For instance Tyler Perry is said to have had
an
abusive father and so mostly spent time with his mother and women. Although
he did not write the original script, it makes a lot of sense for him to have
portrayed men in that manner and adopt a negative feminine view of things. I
think he could have done better with the story line; the movie leaves no moral
lesson or hope for anyone struggling in such a situation. I understand it’s a
movie FOR COLOURED GIRLS but are we saying that all men are evil? And that they
cannot change? Are we saying that women are always the victims?
I don’t think women are weaklings and don’t know how to
handle situations in their lives. Not every black woman is oppressed by a man
and not every religious woman is a puritan with double standards and I think
this is what the movie tried to portray, as each character’s experience is
supposed to mirror an aspect of a black woman’s life. This movie makes women
look like they are always suffering and have no clue of what to make of life,
we are stronger than we know and with God and good guidance we can definitely
cope with the obstacles life throws at us.
