The Short film "Juice" is the precise representation of traditional authority where power is exercised legitimately in the form of Patriarchalism. However, it also challenges this notion by depicting the frustration women have and shows now they will not bear with it and voice their rights.
In the film, the male figure dominates the family. From the men's conversation, we know that they consider women limited to household chores and see these tasks as insignificant, which gives them the right to control them; for example, one of the men says that his wife "does nothing" at home and "instructs" her to help in the kitchen. The men think women are incompetent as leaders(independent) because they view them as inferior beings. This is visible from their discussion of why Hillary Clinton should lose from Trump because women are weak and cannot run a country. The dominant role of men is reinforced as the wives are working in a hot environment for their husbands while they enjoy the party and the husbands control their wives as they make critical decisions about them, like quitting their jobs, etc. This kind of environment is something that we witness every day in our homes. For example, my decision to come to LUMS was not mine as I wanted to go abroad as I got into one of the worlds best institute, but "men," in this case my father took my decision of staying in Pakistan because I'm a girl who cannot survive on her own.
"Traditional authority is regarded as legitimate power because it has 'always existed' and was accepted by earlier generations." (Heywood 121). This concept is evident as one of the women is used as an example, by the lady, to the pregnant woman as a "good woman" who quit her job after having children to resort to a caretaker. This shows how the women have internalized the traditions that even though they are affected by it- they must leave their aspirations to take on the traditional role. Yet, they do not question it. The belief is inculcated from childhood as one of the ladies calls her daughter to stop playing and give her brothers food. This film makes us question what we are being taught and how we as women react to it. Accepting is not and should never be an option, but voicing your needs should be it, as the film shows a constant frustration in the woman to her treatment to which, in the end, she stood up against.
Perhaps, this film educates us about how things-patriarchy in our society- have been traditionally and then makes us question our reaction to them should differ.
link: https://youtu.be/R-Sk7fQGIjE
I remember watching this short film for my Introduction to Gender Studies course this Fall semester. The movie really puts into perspective all the unpaid labor Desi women are subjected to serve their male relatives. This ties well into Daphne Spain's argument on how certain spaces are gendered both architecture-wise and geographically. In juice, we can see that the men occupy the vast living room while the women are forced to the kitchen, which is at the extreme back of the house, completely secluded from the rest of the house. We see the men leisurely occupying the couches and all the women cramped in a closed hot and suffocating space. Such architectural differences only harbor the already existing power dynamic…