Discuss Widows

Anyone else feel too many ingredients spoiled it? It was a film about a heist, political corruption, patriarchy, racism, domestic abuse, single parenting, prostitution, police shootings, adultery, parental grief, infertility, inequality, greed - I'm sure the list could go on. At a certain point I think these didactic themes start to distract from and undermine the impact of the main story itself. Plus, it risks bordering on the patronising.

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Funny, even though I saw it; I never thought of it in the way you pointed it out. I think there's a touch of all that going on in a lot of movies...so I guess I've just gotten used to it. I found it interesting the widows did what they did and got away with it though I thought they would because it's a movie.

That's not the first time I've heard that criticism but I can't say it crossed my mind while watching the film. There are certainly cases where trying to explore too many themes can make a film feel messy and unfocused. But in the case of Widows the characters are put first and it's messages second.

It's a well acted, well written, well made film regardless of these messages and even if you took it's underlying themes out it would still be a compelling watch.

With regards to it's themes, it's predominantly about women rising up from the shadows the men in their lives have cast over them and becoming their own people. I think the majority of the elements you mention just come under this one umbrella theme. It's also about the corruption of people in power, yes. But as thebarnman already mentioned, you get things like that as just part and parcel of a lot of movies.

I never once thought while watching this "Oh, there's some adultery. This film must be trying to say something about adultery." Adultery occurs in countless films without there being some underlying message. Fatal Attraction on the other hand, is clearly about adultery.

@JustinJackFlash said: With regards to it's themes, it's predominantly about women rising up from the shadows the men in their lives have cast over them and becoming their own people.

And that's what I mainly got from that movie.

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