Barbie FILM NOTE
- charlottebeattie09
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
The newest edition of the million dollar film club- Barbie!
Take a step back and enter the vibrant and satire approach to one of the biggest role models for young girls; submerge yourself into the irony of toys with power and the idea that a Mattel Barbie doll has become a symbol of misogyny and inequality.
Sparkle and pastel will illuminate the screen and guide your mind into nostalgia and intense emotion. An excellent choice of screening for those who want to FEEL. Whilst portraying these intense emotions, Barbie is also designed to be a funny and lighthearted way to spread its serious message in order to be accessible to all audiences.
In this comedic take Greta Gerwig (director) reveals the underlying concern of patriarchy that must be shone in the glitter and pink of Barbieland to make a great feminist point about todays twisted society. Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) portray a hilarious dynamic of power within gender roles whilst reversing reality in its parallel universe.
Entering Barbieland is a setting like no other as childhood playtime is brought to life and audiences are filled with feminist ideology that makes them question the origins of gender prejudice and why it has become soe prevalent even in the modern world.
"I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know"
America Ferrara's iconic speech in Barbie
Whilst you are enjoying the screening make sure to watch out for classic Barbie costumes such as the black and white bathing suit that alludes to Mattel's original release of the Barbie doll in 1959. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the disproportional set to character ratio as the Barbie dream house and other props are too small for her body. This creative decision enables the set to look more authentically toy-like as our Barbie dolls never did quite fit into their homes but our imaginations were too wild to notice.
This idea of imagination is enhanced in Barbie as Greta Gerwig has achieved her intention to combine the childish mind and current political debated to create a globally enjoyed mainstream film. Barbie has successfully encouraged the conversation that feminists have been promoting for many years.
Did you know?
The role of Barbie was initially offered to Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway until our perfect Barbie, Margot Robbie, was cast in 2019.
Ryan Gosling became our Ken after agreeing to take the role when he saw the devastating scene pf his daughters Ken doll face down in the mud next to a squished lemon. This goes to prove the tagline:
"She's everything. He's just Ken"
Film note written by Charlotte Beattie
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