She's Beautiful When She's Angry

She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014) directed by Mary Dore, an award winning documentary producer, is an utterly fabulous piece of feminist art that ought to be seen by women everywhere. This documentary was orchestrated beautifully and organized with clear care. Passion will flow directly from the film into your bloodstream with every clip, interview and image. Based on a reflection and retelling of the 1960s American women's activism, the film documents a crucial time in American history. Brimming with interviews of originals and leaders in the movement, the film is powerful and honest. From the beginning, the viewer can sense the fearless, ballsy attitude that embodied each Movement Woman and their continued enthusiasm is contagious.

The opening scene begins with a slide stating that many states are restricting women's access to reproductive health care, meaning birth control and abortion. The scene then flips to a current-day women's health care rally where a woman is addressing an audience. She says to the crowd, "Women's health care is being tossed around like a football, the argument has been over for a very long time, to have the right to choose. We should be mad, Are you mad?" The crowd erupts in affirmation. Directly after this we see an interview with an older woman warning that if we don't continue to pay attention the rug will be ripped from beneath us. The film goes on to describe in detail what it would have been like to live as a women in the 1960s, the oppression, the fear, the passion, and at last, the anger. A series of personal stories, experiences and explanations are shared by real 1960s Movement Women which help to paint the scene of their lives and how the time changed them personally. Dore did an amazing job of capturing the feeling of empowerment by also including original footage of protest walks, support meetings and even interviews of men during the time, dogging the movement.

By flipping from original photos, footage, and interviews, the film keeps the audience engaged. The use of shocking facts and stories caused my stomach to clench and roll at the audacity and out right ignorant discrimination coming at women from many men, most in positions of authority. In the plainest of terms, the creators of She's Beautiful When She's Angry cared. As simple as that, this issue, this process, the success of the woman's rights movement truly mattered and the film is steeped in their firm belief in this cause. Every shot and interview contained more earnest passion and vitality than anything I have viewed to date and gave me a whole new perspective of the term "feminism".

In the end, though I would not consider myself a feminist, this film is truly powerful and informative. It shows that the roots of feminism were deeply grounded in real issues and active discrimination upon women of that time. Its purpose is to warn and remind women that the fight for our rights is an unending battle. As soon as women grow docile in the fight, our rights will begin to dwindle. Proof of this shown in the film is the issue of birth control and abortion. Forty years ago women were given the right to choose what was best for our bodies, yet now the question is being raised again and that fact is clearly upsetting to both the Movement Women and the creators of this film. Both entertaining and informative, woman must watch She's Beautiful When She's Angry in order to further their knowledge of how we developed into the powerful parts of society that we are today. This film will send chills down your arms and passion through your spirit.

I'm not a feminist in the modern sense, but as a lover of history I really enjoyed this documentary. Such wonderful stories about the origins of the feminist movement in the US.

I find it interesting how random groups of women worked together for change and achieved it. I loved how it showed the movement as divided and no a single idea, but various conflicting groups of women who never gave up.

At no point did I feel like someone was pushing an agenda or opinion or trying to convince me of anything, it was just people sharing stories.

Western women today owe so much to these women and they probably don't even realize it. The last 5 minutes got boring for me, but I guess its relevant as a call to arms for women.

Very well made film, I can't find much fault with it.

This amazing documentary about the women's fight for their independence and for the reproductive rights it is a great learning about the history of feminism movement and of his implications in the current society. Using statements, videos and photos, the doc. shows to his public how have emerged the feminists organizations in the patriarchal society from 1960's. Essential questions, even in the current days, are presented in the historical and social context with seriousness and emotion by the documentary, starting from the most important point of view, of the women who fought for their rights in a time when do not there was any right for this group. Images of speeches and memorable protests builds a scenario of the reality lived for the women in the 60's decade and the courage, brilliance and intelligence of the first feminist group in the USA. Exploring the differences between the many kinds of movements existing in a fight so multiple, the Mary Dore's job explores the fundamental flags of the feminism, like the body rights, the abortion question, the financial equality and equal opportunities, the black feminism and the women's history. All of this presented dynamically, without become tiresome. The documentary brings a hope from a world more egalitarian and more free for the personal decisions, mainly for the women, in a decade where their rights are threatened around the world.

A documentary chronicles the Women's Liberation movement in the U.S in the late 1960s and the early 1970s.

There are many strengths in this film. The best include interviews with over twenty likeable women who were part of the movement in its heyday. The vintage photos and TV clips can leave one nostalgic for an era that had much fire in its heart compared to the long era of materialism that followed (and still lingers).

The film is well structured in its discussions of the many issues involved which include low wages, the lack of job opportunities, rape, abortion, health issues, sexuality, and childcare.

The fairness in this film is also admirable. It is honest about the movement's extremities in its later years. Also, after revealing the marginalization of women in the New Left, anti-war movement, it's also later revealed how black women, lesbians, and poor women also felt marginalized within the wider women's movement. More coverage could still have been given, however, regarding the poor and working-class. There is an interview with a woman of a working-class background but she talks of her experience at UCLA - a situation that would be very rare for most women in the working class.

While this film is a good chronicle of events in the U.S., it could have paid attention to feminist movements in other countries. A sore point is a reference to a recent protest movement that began in Toronto. If the event had begun in a U.S. city, there's little doubt the city would have been mentioned.

Despite the U.S-centric tone, this movie is a worthwhile experience especially with the reminder of what can happen when like-minded people get together and learn that they are not alone and that others share the same experience. It's much like the Margaret Mead quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." And as the film reiterates, "The personal is political."

This film is not only a comprehensive history of a powerful and multifaceted movement in the not-too-distant past, it is a call to action. For young people, in particular, who came of age in times when job postings are no longer segregated by gender, when woman-centric health information and health services are (slightly) more accessible, when women with careers were not (always) denounced, this film offers a peek at what life was like for women before the mid-1960's and helps us understand the origins of the concept of gender equality that many of us take for granted. We are also reminded that much of what was won decades ago is once again in jeopardy.

There are clips from mass marches, meetings, poetry readings, and consciousness-raising sessions. The filmmakers interviewed many women who became the face of feminism and these women's reflections upon how the movement developed, what issues and what actions galvanized the activism of the time, are passionate, often profound, and sometimes very funny.

The film does not shy away from the reality that the feminist movement was complicated and messy. The internal political divisions, the divisions of geography, race and class, and the almost casual homophobia, are all exposed and examined. The film is ultimately a celebration of the diversity, creativity, intelligence, and fortitude of these early feminists who continue to inspire us to take up struggle for women's rights in the Twenty-First Century.