#data is kenough

[aquamonstra]

"Mr. Data, what on earth are you wearing?"

"It is a copy of a costume piece from an old Earth cinematic masterpiece, Captain. I related strongly to one of the main characters, and found his mantra to be very affirming."

"I've already tried to get him to take it off, Captain, but he just handed me one too and said that I'm also Kenough."

"I have replicated copies of the garment for you and Commander Riker as well, Captain."

[gaypudding]

Okay I just saw Poor Things and oh my god. If that film doesn’t win best picture I’m going to eat my shoes. Please excuse this essay, as I’m not in a class right now that I could write it for and don’t feel like putting more work in than simply typing on my phone.

I saw Barbie earlier this year and I find myself comparing Poor Things to its narrative. Now I would never pit two beautiful women against each other but I think both movies have a similar message for very different audiences.

Barbie is about a woman who has been trapped in the ideal life. She has everything, and one day she questions what it would be like to not have everything (or a life at all). She then is sent on a quest to restore this naivety by traveling to the “real world”. Typical heroes journey stuff. However, she discovers that humanity, specifically fem-presenting folks, need help. She learns about ~feminism~ and being a GirlBoss and Woman Power and all that jazz. I’m not shitting on this either, it’s just how the movie was written.

My point is that this form of feminism is extremely digestible to the general public (maybe not dude bros with a podcast or has-been comedians but that’s beside the point). It was marketable (Mattel backing the project is an example of that), it was able to be shown to a diverse audience of children, adults, and the elderly. Even religious people couldn’t have too much of a problem with it. There were trends and TikTok filters and the whole Oppenheimer thing. It was extremely successful.

Visually, it was a good movie too. The sets were awesome, the costume design was perfect (albeit for a Chanel ad that rubbed me the wrong way), and it had both hilarious and emotionally gripping moments. I still have the Ken song on loop in my head sometimes and I bought an overpriced ‘I am Kenough’ sweatshirt so it worked on me.

What frustrated me about Barbie and I think what frustrated some other people, was how digestible it was. The movie pushed boundaries for the realm of Hollywood and for people who had only watched Avengers movies up to that point, but it felt too soft. “But GayPudding! You say. It’s a kids movie!” And to that I say yes. You’re correct. I still feel like it could have done something better than include 10 different product placements and an insanely long monologue that is accurate but in a way that doesn’t addresses the problem, it only identifies it.

Now, Poor Things. Decidedly not a movie for children under 13. It’s gory and filled with sex and cursing, but honestly it’s nothing I hadn’t seen by the time I was that age (maybe the brain parts). That’s an entirely different conversation though. It, however, was NOT marketable. It is sacrilegious so that audience is out, I saw at least four people walk out at different points all of various demographics (a mother and her two daughters to name 3) and its audience was mostly queer or alternative film majors and cool old people. (I work at a movie theater so I feel like this data is relatively accurate but it’s also a small theater so who knows).

But this film had all the same points as Barbie! It stars a woman who begins the movie with childlike naivety (more literally here), she leaves her world behind in search of something that will satisfy her personal world, finds that the world needs saving, then returns with confidence and self agency. Although she is not met with a Mojo Dojo Casa House, she’s met with wild objection and physical violence. In the end, much like Barbie, she gets what she wants while leaving her mentor behind and creates a world that is safe for herself and for her peers. She even has goals! Her studying for a medical exam is similar to Barbie’s… medical exam (aren’t I funny?).

The set and costuming is stunning. Like I actually had my mouth open at how beautiful and symbolic it was. Barbie was impressive but oh my god this film was one of the most visually gorgeous movies I’ve ever seen. Saltburn was pretty good too but the story didn’t hit me as hard.

Each phase of life that Bella entered was accompanied by a change in color palette, dress, and environment. She begins in infancy and toddlerhood with the dark and underdeveloped streets of London. She wears baby blues and white flowy dresses. Then she leaves for Lisbon and enters childhood. Her clothes are stiffer but still movable and are pastel and primary colors. Then the boat and Alexandria. She’s discovering that the world is full of horrors and complexities, her costumes increase in how stifling they are and become jewel toned. This was the teenage period. Then there’s Paris, her twenties. She’s found her liberty and her clothes are more revealing with a variety of styles and colors. She’s inventing herself. Finally, she reaches full adulthood. She’s realized who she is, what she wants, and makes a plan to get it and she does. She comes across challenges, but is able to rely on herself and those she knows to trust and she’s able to care for them in the same way they’ve cared for her.

Max’s character I have some different thoughts on, idk how I feel about his love for her in her infancy, but it’s a psychologically confusing situation and he felt weird about it so I’ll give him a temporary pass.

Anyway, this is all to say that the feminism of Barbie and of Poor Things is saying very similar things and executes that message in a very different way. I hope that in the future, more films like Poor Things can be made with nuanced takes and intelligent messages and less fucking advertisements.