Milwaukee Film Festival 2017 – Day 9: Paula, Landline
By Andrea Thompson
For my last day of the Milwaukee Film Festival, I chose two films that revolve around women and their place in a changing modern society. And there are common threads, some of them disturbing.
The women in both films all find themselves at a different kind of crossroads. Their paths in life seem all set, but they find themselves questioning whether it’s what they really want. While they more or less figure it out, if only because they have to, the final destination can sometimes be happy, or leave something to be desired. But whether the film was directed by a woman who was born and raised in Brooklyn, or by a male director who grew up in Germany, both ultimately cannot seem to comprehend another life for their female characters other than a traditional one. They may embark on passionate physical affairs, but only so they can realize the value of a duller, but stable home life. The fact that both movies cling to this mindset demonstrates how much women are expected to ‘behave,’ and just how few options they’re given, even by other women.
