Greta Gerwig was asked to weigh in on the French cinema industry belatedly implementing new measures as a result of #MeToo, and she had some great words.
"I think people in the community of movies telling their stories and trying to change things for the better is only good," Greta said during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (via ELLE UK). "I have seen substantive change in the American film community, and I think it is important that we continue to expand that conversation. So I think it’s only moving everything in the correct direction. Keep those lines of communication open."
Last week, an article in The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed that #MeToo had "finally arrived" in France, where the festival takes place, with new measures including intimacy coordinators and chaperones for minors being widely implemented on film sets.
The Little Women director's comments contrasted those made by Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux on Monday, when he said: "We are trying to have a festival without these polemics. In Cannes, the politics should be on the screen" (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Greta, who serves as the president of the jury for this year's Festival, is known for her socially engaged films. Her latest work, Barbie, received immense praise (and criticism) for depicting some of the most difficult aspects of being a woman in this world.
One of the most memorable moments in the film happened when America Ferrera, who plays Gloria, gave a rousing speech about womanhood.
"It is literally impossible to be a woman," Gloria said to Margot Robbie's Barbie. "You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong."
She continued: “You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas."
She concluded the speech: "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."
