The réalisatrice and the rom-com in the 2000s

Author: Harrod Mary  

Publisher: Intellect Books

ISSN: 1758-9517

Source: Studies in French Cinema, Vol.12, Iss.3, 2012-10, pp. : 227-240

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Abstract

Since 2000 in particular, French cinema has witnessed an explosion in romantic comedy production. Women film-makers across the board from popular auteur to more mainstream cinema have been instrumental in the phenomenon. This essay explores the implications of women adopting a genre traditionally associated with conservative ideologies. It argues for a more inclusive, hybrid approach to rom-com, exploring its mobilization by women directors in a range of films. Notable trends are the way in which conventional gender positions are made fluid, the genre's frequent splicing with family narratives, and the prevalence of the ensemble rom-com, which is examined in the light of Tania Modleski's observations about the 'femininity' of episodic forms. The essay concludes that, despite its restrictions in addressing women within (usually white, middle class) heterosexual couples, the rom-com offers French women film-makers a means to speak in a widely understandable yet original and sometimes feminist voice.