Brainwashed (Sundance photo)
‘Brainwashed’ Documentary Set for Jan. 24 Digital, Disc Release
December 20, 2022
Kino Lorber is readying the documentary Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, director Nina Menkes’ look at the sexual politics of cinematic shot design, for home release.
The film will be available for digital rental or purchase on Dec. 20, and Blu-ray Disc and DVD on Jan. 24, 2023.
The film is already available for digital rental or purchase on KinoNow.
Using clips from hundreds of famous movies — from Metropolis to Vertigo to Phantom Thread — Menkes makes the argument that shot design is gendered. Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power “illuminates the patriarchal narrative codes that hide within supposedly ‘classic’ set-ups and camera angles, and demonstrates how women are frequently displayed as objects for the use, support, and pleasure of male subjects,” according to Kino Lorber.
“Building on the essential work of Laura Mulvey and other feminist writers, Menkes shows how these not-so-subtle embedded messages affect and intersect with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse and assault, as well as employment discrimination against women, especially in the film industry.”
The film features interviews with an all-star cast of women and non-binary industry professionals including Julie Dash, Penelope Spheeris, Charlyne Yi, Joey Soloway, Catherine Hardwicke, Eliza Hittman, Maria Giese and Rosanna Arquette.
Bonus features include an audio commentary with Menkes and editor Cecily Rhett, isolated excerpts from the score by Sharon Farber, and a Q&A with Menkes, courtesy of DCTV.