Filmmaker takes on "fake feminism" in Strindberg-inspired flick
She's Wild Again Tonight, one of the movies premiering at the Stockholm International Film Festival this week, offers a harsh criticism of men who pretend to be feminists.
The movie, directed by Fia-Stina Sandlund, presents a modern feminist story, loosely based on August Strindberg's 1888 play Miss Julie, about a love affair gone awry.
With the set confined almost entirely to one white room, Sandlund's film examines the relationship between two young actors, Shima (Shima Niavarani) and Gustaf (Gustaf Norén), who are to perform opposite each other in a rendition of Miss Julie, but in the process of rehearsing their parts, the plot of Strindberg's story starts to bleed into their real lives.
In one scene, Shima accuses Gustaf, her gender-bending lover, of being a "fake feminist".
Sandlund explained, "This guy ... identifies as a feminist, but it's not so easy to live as you preach."
"If you want to be a male feminist," she continued, "that means that you have to take a step back and actually give some space to women. That's what it's all about. You have to say no to some of your privileges," she said, adding with laughter, "and also accept other types of women than the care-taking type."
Sandlund said that fake feminists have turned up plenty of times in her own life, but that she tries not to deal with them too much anymore.
The film will have its world premiere on Thursday evening.
