By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Frédéric Ralière | Xavier Fournier
Original language title: Le Règne des super-héroïnes
Country: france
Year: 2021
Running time: 82
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14703148/reference
Michael says: “Anyone who knows me, knows that this documentary, that follows the evolution of the female superhero characters in comics from the 1940s up to today, is made for me. As a self-avowed super-heroine advocate, i rejoice in an entire documentary that focuses on this cultural phenomenon that has only recently taken off with movies like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. As mentioned above, though, female superheroes have been around since the 40’s, and not just Wonder Woman. Comic expert Xavier Fournier, who also writes and co-directs this film, knows his history, and does a great job touching on the evolving timeline of the super heroine, by using many of the comic writers and artists both mail, but largely female, who have been a part of this movement bringing female superheroes to life. While not comprehensive, this French film does bring in a couple of American heavy-hitters, Chris Claremont, who revolutionized the X-Men beginning the 70’s, by bringing in characters like Storm, and Ktty Pryde, and reimagining Jean Grey as a hero for a new time; and Trina Robbins, an American cartoonist, influential participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first few female artists involved, and the first woman to draw Wonder Woman in the 1980s. Another well-known Wonder Woman artist in more recent times is Australian Nicola Scott, also interviewed here. Fournier also includes several modern-day writer/artists working for Marvel and DC, notable for their international backgrounds, coming from France and Italy. The world of comics has certainly benefited from a more global reach.
“An interesting through-line for this film is the subtle examination of the evolution of the fandom around comics. In the last decade plus, women and girls have started to embrace comics, some from the popularity of the big screen comic-related blockbusters, but many from the animated cartoons, particularly the X-Men, from the 80’s. For some, this fandom manifests is the form of cosplay, where women can take on the powerfully, heroic personas of their male counterparts, the superheroines. Several cos-players are also interviewed, which adds an interesting exploration to the overall themes of the film. Again, I am predisposed to love a film like this, and am not the one to judge the technical merits of this fairly straight-forward documentary, but if you have any interested whatsoever, it’s a great look at the subject. 4 cats“