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Directed by: Julia Douverny dos Santos
Starring: Jeanette Nelson, Natalie Fenton, Jan de W Fockert, Gina Mellotte and Baroness Genista McIntosh
Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen
Feminism is something we have all heard about, talked about and maybe even thought about, and yes over the years there have been a lot of documentaries and factual based films on the subject, but there is something that has not always been addressed...The Female Voice.
When I first saw the title of this short I was under the impression that this was going to be a film tackling the subject of women’s views and opinions not always being recognised or considered within the public platform or within women’s personal lives, but no, this piece does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s an investigation into The Female Voice.
Most people outside of actors and public speakers, rarely think about the impact that their voice has on how they are being perceived, and in the world of public speaking women are often unheard and discredited because of how they sound.
Covering a wide spectrum of examples, The Female Voice tackles the reception that comes for women when they are expressing opinions within the public sector.
Citing references from voice over actors to Margaret Thatcher, director Julia Douverny dos Santos clearly had done her research on the subject and in covering such a vast collection of people, it allows for interest to be spiked by a wide audience.
An excellent example which ties the short together very well is that during the filming of the Iron Lady, the voice coach for Margaret Thatcher was cast as a man, when in reality it was actually a woman, once again displaying the idea that women can only achieve a powerful dominate voice when assisted by a man.
What is pleasant about this short is its well presented demeanour, this is not a male bashing feminist piece, although references are used to times where men have overpowered a woman to get a point across but they are not presented with victim energy, I found this to be a refreshing approach to the subject of women’s rights.
This short has an interesting and consistent pace; interviews are spliced together with archive footage, pop culture references, as well as political ones, making for a culturally stimulating watch.
Whether you have an interest in women’s rights or not, The Female Voice makes us all take a moment to think about how we are being heard.
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