There is a horror film called Body Parts—the film I’m discussing is not that film.
The Body Parts I’m talking about is a 2023 documentary that looks at how sex scenes are shot in Hollywood, the demeaning way in which women have had to get naked, and how the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements brought about change and intimacy coordinators.
What’s an intimacy coordinator? Someone on set who makes sure that actors are protected and safe while filming sex scenes. They rehearse the scenes with actors and literally talk about where hands and private parts should and should not go.
Body Parts is filled with interesting facts and information about the evolution of female roles and sex scenes from the 1920s and beyond with honest commentary from actresses like Jane Fonda and Rosanne Arquette around their experiences. It’s interesting to see how things have changed—and how much further we still have to go.
The first step in changing the way women are filmed is through documentaries like this (and my favorite, Brainwashed). These documentaries do the tough work of opening the conversation and allowing for all of us to have an open dialogue about how women are portrayed and viewed. The next step is action. From my perspective, because of these documentaries, I have already started to change the way I shoot films, write scripts, and position female characters. I believe this same thing is also happening, slowly but surely, across the world. And as we get more female filmmakers, DPs, and writers into the space, the faster that change will occur.
If you want to educate yourself on how women are portrayed in the media and the degradation they’ve had to endure while filming sex (and sometimes not even sex) scenes in Hollywood, then you must watch Body Parts today. Rent it on Amazon Prime HERE.
You can learn more on its website HERE.
Steph West 