Trends

Thursday Trends: Female Directors and Erotic Mainstream Films

'Sleeping Beauty' film still (Australian Broadcasting Media)

‘Sleeping Beauty’ film still (Australian Broadcasting Media)

This week, we’re examining different aspects of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” in preparation for the upcoming movie. 

As we mentioned earlier this week, the upcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie bears an interesting distinction: Women are in prominent positions behind the camera. Aside from author E.L. James, Sam Taylor-Johnson is directing off a script written by Kelly Marcel. In an industry where female directors comprise only 29%+ of total directors, this trifecta will no doubt prove a competitive advantage in adapting a property beloved by so many women worldwide.

It might usher in a new film concept as well: the mainstream erotic, yet female-friendly, film. So far, the closest we’ve come has been with “Sleeping Beauty,” released in 2011. Debuting during the Cannes Film Festival, Australian director/screenwriter Julia Leigh’s film focuses on university student Lucy (Emily Browning) who moonlights as an erotic freelancer. Lucy’s job is to sleep peacefully in a large bed, while paying male customers sleep next to her, following the establishment’s “no penetration” rule. The film was Leigh’s directorial debut.

In France, director Catherine Breillat is known for depicting realistic sexuality and intimacy onscreen, even casting Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi in two films. Her work tends to examine facets of female sexuality. Breillat’s films “Virgin” and “Fat Girl” specifically focus on budding female teenage sexuality. Incidentally, she also has a film titled “The Sleeping Beauty.”

It’s interesting to note that most of the erotic films that are (relatively) mainstream come from overseas, where sexual mores are a bit looser. And this holds true for the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie: Though produced by three American production companies and distributed by Universal (all American companies), James, Taylor-Johnson, and Marcel are all British.

The closest mainstream American BDSM film we’ve had with a female presence has been “Secretary,” released in 2002. Written by Erin Cressida Wilson from a short story by Mary Gaitskill, the script won Wilson a Best First Screenplay award at the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards. But the prominent women in behind-the-camera positions stop there.

Hopefully, “Fifty Shades of Grey” will open more doors for female directors and screenwriters, particularly for films of an erotic nature. But with American’s puritanical take on sex, progress might happen at a snail’s pace.

Thursday Trends: Recognizing Actors for Portraying Transpeople

Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman in 'Transparent' (Business Insider)

Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman in ‘Transparent’ (Business Insider)

Last week at the Golden Globe Awards, actor Jeffrey Tambor received the award for Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy. Tambor plays Maura in Amazon Studios’ “Transparent,” a transgender woman who’s always identified as a woman, and how it affects her three adult children. (The series also won the Golden Globe for Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy.)

Tambor, who dedicated his award to the trans community, is the latest actor to be recognized for his work in playing a transperson. Though some actors before him have achieved recognition in portraying trans characters, the awards and nominations have come few and far between. But Tambor’s award comes less than a year since Jared Leto won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing a transwoman in “Dallas Buyers Club.” This suggests that the trans community is rapidly gaining in visibility, and portrayals of the community members’ nuances are beginning to be normalized onscreen.

The first film actor to be nominated for portraying a trans person was Chris Sarandon for “Dog Day Afternoon” back in 1975. Sarandon played Leon Shermer, the pre-operative trans wife of bank robber Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino). The character was based on the real-life Elizabeth Eden, initially born Ernest Aron. Sarandon received Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his work.

The first film actor to win an award for playing a trans person was Hilary Swank, portraying Brandon Teena in 1999’s “Boys Don’t Cry.” Swank won the Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama Golden Globe and the Best Actress Oscar.

Last year, the Emmys made history when it nominated its first transgender acting nominee. Laverne Cox, who plays hairdresser/inmate Sophia Burset in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” was nominated for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. (Though she didn’t win, Cox later scored another first as the first openly trans person to grace the cover of “Time” in June.)

It’s important to note that previous to Cox, all the actors nominated were cisgender, and this has occasionally become a point of contention. After Leto won the Oscar in 2014, discussions arose around transgender actors portraying trans characters.

With actors receiving recent recognition in portraying trans characters, the trans community’s visibility is rapidly rising. As more audiences watch trans stories, mainstream acceptance should spread.