Ever since I saw her as Mona Lisa Saperstein (aka, the WoOoOoOoOorst) on my favourite TV show, Parks & Recreation, I have loved Jenny Slate. She is just so chill and snappy and I don't know what else to say other than LOVE. So when I saw her new film Obvious Child was on Netflix, I immediately dropped everything and watched it. And it's fantastic.

Written and directed by Gillian Robespierre, Obvious Child is the story of Donna Stern (Slate), a stand-up comedian trying to figure out life (as we all are) in New York City (ok, maybe not all) after being dumped by her boyfriend. The second hand bookstore she is working at is scheduled to close, and in effect her income will soon cease. So life seems to be pretty much going downhill. Then Matt comes along.

Seems like your typical rom-com, right? But what is special about this film is that it is subversive, raw and hilarious in the way that has become so successful with the TV show Girls and Broad City. Slate, and the film, is 100% honest and unapologetic about what it's like to be a woman, and she, like the characters on Girls or Broad City, are relatable. Even to me, a 19 year old, can relate to Donna's late-20's struggles of money, careers and pursuing your dreams, meeting a nice guy and not knowing what to do with yourself.

This is no idealised manic-pixie-dream-girl in fairytale New York. It's real, flawed, multifaceted and accurate. Word up. What is most beautiful about this sort of content is it demonstrates that women are funny. And successfully so. The amount of pioneering unapologetic comedic women in prominence at the moment is wonderful. Of course, they have always been around.

Women being funny isn't a new thing. Not even sitcoms directed or produced by women. Let's not forget the incorruptible Lucille Ball, who, when industry execs told her no, funded I Love Lucy all on her own, on her own terms. Can I get a hell yeah?

Obvious Child, while being "subversive" in the fact that women are being women (the horror!) it is not cringeworthy. This is because the film is written and directed by Gillian Robespierre. This is a female, telling the female story, for other females. Which is why women directors are so important. Men often cannot accurately portray the female story, and instead alienates us. This film, however, does not. Because it’s our story. Especially when the opening dialogue is Donna doing a standup set, talking about white marks on our underwear (because men are never going to talk about that, but we all know and live it). So thank you Gillian, for giving us a story we can relate to.

Overall, a delightful film, and definitely a must for fans of the modern comedienne.

--

By Claire. 

Obvious Child is available on Netflix / Cause a Cine do not own any image nor the trailer used in this post.

The poster for the Sara Bareilles musical has been released and we decided that it’s something you should know about.

The story of Jenna, a newly-pregnant diner girl with a knack for pie-making, stuck in an unhappy marriage in her small Southern town, Waitress is a musical adaption of the 2007 film of the same name, written AND directed by the late Adrienne Shelly.

Now directed by Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland, Pippin, Hair), the book is written by Jessie Nelson (screenwriter of I Am Sam, Stepmom, The Story of Us) and the music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles (five time Grammy Award nominee). The show will also star 2014 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical winner, Jessie Mueller (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical).  

Check out that lady line-up!!

Waitress is set to hit the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA in August.

After the success for the  all female writing team for Fun Home (2015 Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book for a Musical and Best Score for a Musical), Cause a Cine wishes the best luck to Waitress and it’s cast and crew. 

Written by Claire | Source: Playbill

Hello all, my name is Claire and I am the founder of Cause a Cine.

Cause a Cine is an idea of mine that has been in the making for a while now, and with the guidance and support of my beautiful lady friends, I am so proud and excited to finally launch this blog. 

This blog is a combination of a few things I am passionate about: screen and stage entertainment, writing and feminism. 

I created this blog because every day I see evidence of the marginalization of women in the entertainment industry. Everyday I see a new statistic, video, read a story or see a quote about the inequality of women in these industries, for either performing or in behind the scenes work.

Also, as a media and cinema studies student, I have noticed my courses are filled with male scholars, male opinions and voices. In cinema studies especially, majority of the readings we were assigned were written by men, and majority of the films we studied featured male leads. All films were directed by a man. 

But you know what? I go to my lectures and my classes and I see that half, if not over half of the students I see in these rooms and lecture halls are girls. In my cinema studies subjects, the coordinators are women, and for both subjects I have taken so far, my tutors have been women. Whereas in media, my tutors and lecturers have been men.  

The female voice needs to get out there. Female students and everyday appreciators need to know that men aren't the only ones with a "valid" opinion, that they aren't the only voice we have to hear. 

Everyday I am inspired by amazing ladies who achieve, aspire, inspire and speak up about this marginalization. In particular, I am inspired by women like Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea who started their own production company, Pacific Standard, aimed at producing films with strong female lead roles (and smashed the box office last year with their debut films Gone Girl and Wild); And here at home, with the introduction of another all-female production house The Dollhouse Collective, based in Sydney, run by amazing artists Rose Byrne, Gracie Otto, Krew Boyland, Shannon Murphy and Jessica Carrera. All-female production companies are taking action to create female content and that is what this blog shall do, too. 

I am inspired by so many amazing women, and I could not possibly list them all, but they will be celebrated in future posts, because that's what this blog is all about.

My hope for this blog is for it to be inter-sectional. I want it to be inclusive of women of all identities. When I use the words female/women/girls, we mean anyone who identifies as such, no matter what gender she was assigned at birth. 

I have a lot of plans and high hopes for this blog, but it, like I, is a work in progress. I wish to be the best writer, editor and feminist that I can be, but I am learning. So bear with me, as I learn. 

All in all, I am very excited, and I hope you are, too. 

If you wish to write for Cause a Cine, be sure to check out the Facebook and Twitter accounts for "casting calls", and the Contribution page in the sidebar. Cause a Cine would love to have you!

Let's do this thing.

Claire.