The Woman Without Qualities - Functions of the Stereotype in Narrative Cinema is a research project funded by Konstfack KU tutored by Katji Lindberg and Vanja Hermele

The project was presented in a seminar with Ingrid Ryberg, PhD in Cinema Studies and in an essay (in swedish) published in INTER : fem konstnärliga utvecklingsprojekt på interdisciplinär grund

17 min video

The film is a pastiche of western film canon. It consists of fourteen scenes from the film history where a female character is presented. Each scene is an individual piece as well as part of a short faked fiction film. The scenes all have multiple references and are made to look as much like the model scenes as possible. In the 17 minute video a dramatic curve has been faked pretending to show plot movement and character development. But since the woman is by herself not much is happening.

The title refers to the novel by Robert Musil and came about in a conversation with Maria Morberg on gender stereotypes in cinema for the no 12 issue of Motiv

List of credits:
Actor Alexandra Dahlström, Cinematographer Marius Dybwad Brandrud, Sound Recording Markus Öhrn, Sound editing and Mixing Torsten Rundqvist, Scenographer Patrick Kretschek, Costume Designer Maja Gunn, Make Up Galina Nurmi, Assistants Agnes Carpelan and Åsa Norman

Produced with funding from Konstfack KU

The Woman Without Qualities has been shown at Göteborg International Film Festival and Bio Rio in Stockholm

Some reference material and the essay The Woman Without Qualities - Functions of the stereotype in cinema narratives (text in swedish) here

stills from the shooting