#truewomen

AngelinaJolie

IG dancingwithherself

#annabethgish in #truewomen

The movie True Women (1997) narrates the lives of women impacted by arguably one of the most difficult decades of Southern U.S. history. What the movie really emphasized was how these seemingly disconnected all built off of, and weaved together, to paint the picture of some of our nation’s key points in history. These key points include the Texas Revolution, and its conflicts that include the seizure of the Alamo and Battle at San Jacinto. The film covered the Mexican-American war, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the women’s suffrage movement. More implicit, but notable conflicts such as the tensions with slavery and conflicts with Native Americans make a constant reappearance throughout the movie.

I would not consider this film a good or bad piece of history, but I would consider it moderate. I enjoyed how the filmmakers showed the lives of the women affected during this era because it is often a side that many do not see. When we are told about history, it seems so male-dominated prior to the women’s rights movement. However, this film does a great job expressing that the lives of these women were no walk in the park. They have endured the loss of their children and husbands, they are caught in the crossfire of conflicts, they are forced out of their homes, and they are left to run entire plantations on their own. We are able to connect these factors back to what makes these women “True Women”. On the contrary, I think the film aiming to cover such an extensive time period doesn’t give some issues the depth that they deserve. Had the filmmakers picked a few significant events and portrayed them with special attention, then the audience would be better able to connect the events. For instance, slavery is not really addressed in the movie until the approach of the Civil War, which was allotted a mere few minutes of the film. In actuality, the tensions surrounding slavery began long before the Civil War, and even the Texas Revolution. The Texas Revolution was actually fueled by the uprisings of plantation owners who disagreed with the idea that Mexico abolished slavery. This was one of the major blind spots and missed opportunities in the film that makes it a slightly less effective piece of history.