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A “Barbie” film with a feminist perspective
Lead actors Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie at the “Barbie” premiere in London. photo
© Ian West/PA Wire/dpa
The hype about the “Barbie” film is great – the story about the famous doll should already be the film of the year. If you were expecting a shallow movie to fall asleep to, you will be disappointed.
Superficial, hollow and rather childish: only very few can take the culture surrounding the most famous doll in the world seriously. Finally, at “Barbie” everything so pink – and how can you respect something that a lot of little girls like? The film, which will be released in German cinemas on July 20, breaks these patriarchal expectations. Even before its release, it is endlessly hyped on the Internet .rightly so.
The name of the director already gives a small hint that it could not be completely devoid of meaning. Greta Gerwig (39), who also wrote the screenplay, has been known for her feminist perspective since her historical drama “Little Women”. And that defines the story about the “stereotype Barbie” (Margot Robbie, 33), whose normal Barbie life in a normal Barbie dream villa in Barbieland begins to falter. Everything changes when she talks about death out of nowhere with all her pretty barbie friends at her perfect glittery party. Something like this is absolutely unheard of in the pink fantasy utopia.
In order to get rid of her thoughts of death and the developing cellulite, Barbie has to go into the real world and find the girl with whom she is mentally connected. She looks forward to her fans in our world. After all, she’s Barbie, who in all her different guises as a doctor, astronaut, or president, has shown girls around the world that they can be anything they want. So all problems of inequality are solved – or not?
The Discovery of Patriarchy
Joining the journey of discovery is Ken (Ryan Gosling, 42), who doesn’t know who he is without Barbie. Everything is different in the real world – and Ken quickly discovers what makes the real world so different: patriarchy. A dream for those who always have to stand in Barbie’s shadow. He notes with admiration: “Everything here is designed to elevate the man’s presence!”
This conflict between fantasy and reality, specifically between what little girls hope for and what the world offers them, runs through the film and becomes increasingly philosophical and political. Last but not least, the Mattel company, which appears in the film as the manufacturer of the doll, is repeatedly targeted. So all the nameless decision-makers on the top floor are men who don’t care about the social importance of their product as long as it sells well.
With a wink, the tax evasion of the late “Barbie” inventor Ruth Handler is repeatedly referred to. Despite this supposed self-criticism, the real company Mattel is likely to post good numbers this year. After all, the film is also a good two-hour advertising space for everything to do with “Barbie”.
The fact that dolls alone do not make the world a feminist place becomes clear in a plot twist that only Hollywood can write: The girl with whom Barbie is connected has long been a mother herself (America Ferrera, 39) and works at Mattel as secretary. Her drawings of “Cellulite Barbie” and “Death Thoughts Barbie” show that she probably has more on the box.
In terms of its presentation, the film seems to appeal primarily to girls and women – although of course everyone can think Barbie is cool. The makers therefore emphasize that the film is literally aimed at everyone – including boys and men. That should probably relate primarily to the political message. Because Ken thinks the patriarchy is so great that he wants to establish it in Barbieland.