I Am Woman | Third Space
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I Am Woman

Do you remember Helen Reddy? An Australian legend
Sun 30 Aug 2020
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3 out of 5 stars

I am not a woman, but I think Helen would relish the fact that a man saw her biopic. Especially since I can remember that her album was one of the rare pieces of vinyl that my mother ever purchased. The Australian artist was a 70s icon and her music was heard in my house during my formative years. Most people may not remember that she not only sang some of the biggest songs of that decade, but she performed in movies and television, too. Helen Reddy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) was everywhere, then in the 80s she seemed to disappear from the entertainment scene.

I Am Woman is director Unjoo Moon’s attempt to take us back to the life of the singer who sung the anthem for more than one generation of women. Opening the film with a dreamlike entry into New York City, the Australian arrives in the United States with only $230 in her pocket and her three year old daughter. She went to the record company to discuss the recording contract that was promised to her after winning a singing competition. This would be the first of many heartbreaks that would come in her music career, because the company said that they had no room for another female artist at that time. Helen was determined to remain in the US. She struggled with her career and was introduced to two significant people in her life, the writer Lilian Roxan (Danielle Macdonald) and the talent agent, Jeff Wald (Evan Peters).

Lilian was a rock journalist who would go on to write one of the foremost encyclopaedias of Rock and Roll. She took Helen under her wing and introduced the singer to the city’s music scene. The writer would be the inspiration and encouragement that the artist needed to follow her dreams of being a performer. It was during this time that Helen met Jeff Wald, the man who would eventually marry her and help to launch her career. They moved to California and finally managed to land a deal with Capitol Records. This was the opening that the singer needed and provided her with the platform to showcase her talents.

A career where she would go on to have 15 hit singles where six made the top 10 and three reached number 1, including her signature hit "I Am Woman.” Despite being on top of the world, much of her personal life was falling apart. Most of the difficulties came through the financial mismanagement of her husband and his well-documented drug addiction. Helen Reddy’s story is one that places her in the role of a feminist and musical icon, but proves that with great success, there is a premium cost involved.

When making a biopic of a popular musician, it is hard to determine how much needs to be spent on the music and on their life. Unjoo Moon has taken the road similar to Bohemian Rhapsody and chose the music as a means of telling Reddy’s story. Even though we do get a glimpse into the musician’s personal life, specifically the tumultuous relationship with her husband, Jeff Wald. The majority of the film travels between performances of many of her iconic tunes. An understandable choice that will please many of her fans as they sing along with each of her hits.

Even though Tilda Cobham-Hervey does embody the vocalist with commitment and vitality, the script does not showcase the vast talents that Helen represented. She had her own television show, made numerous on-screen appearances, was in major motion pictures, along with being a musical hit factory throughout the 70s. Moon chooses to only showcase her music and difficulties of her relationship with Wald, who is played with committed passion and vitriol by Evan Peters. Even though his dialogue is pretty much utilising f-bombs as every form of the English language.

I Am Woman is really about the singer’s anthem, zeroing in on the impact that she had on a generation and giving a voice to the equal-rights movement. Since it is hard to fit a prosperous career and a person’s lifetime in one feature film, this film ends up falling short of telling all of Reddy’s story. Even though she was politically active and had an extensive career, Helen Reddy is a woman who experienced the highs and lows of a harsh industry. An extraordinary talent who would admit in the end that she is a flawed person, but a woman who stood for something with her life and voice.

REEL DIALOGUE: How far are people willing to go for their convictions?

One of the critical subtexts of I Am Woman is the fight for equal rights for women in the United States. Helen Reddy was at the forefront of this movement and it is a battle that continues. Especially in today’s climate and with many of the protests going on around the world, it may be hard to appreciate the conviction of belief of those involved in these demonstrations. Being willing to sacrifice income, persecution and with potential time in prison looming for their stand would cause anyone to pause and think.

What should the Christian response be to take a stand for our convictions? Would we be willing to risk it all for our beliefs? For Christians this standard is set by the leader of this belief system in stating “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." This means that our stance is not on our individual beliefs, but is meant as a direct reflection of the God we serve. Which means we need to evaluate our convictions through the lens of the Bible.

Protests have occurred throughout human history, there is nothing new or wrong with taking a stand for your beliefs. The method of the protest does make a difference and does represent your core views on humanity. More importantly, who are you standing for in this protest? God or yourself?

Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:9

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

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