Based on the novel by Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time follows Meg, a strong willed girl who is still finding her place in the world, on a search through time and space to find her missing father. Although A Wrinkle in Time has not gained the acclaim of critics and audiences, it is blatant that this film sets out to achieve great things within Hollywood and has admirable intentions. There are many factors that I would say contribute to A Wrinkle in Time being one of Disney’s most progressive films in recent years both for the company and for Hollywood in general and personally I feel that Ava DuVernay has created a film that will push the industry toward a more progressive future.
First and foremost, the creative team behind this film signifies a shift away from the hegemony of film production in Hollywood and I feel we are beginning to see a real shift in how films are being produced. To an increasing extent, the industry is presenting audiences with films produced, written and directed by women which highlights a positive change within Hollywood. The feminist movements that have arisen in recent years such as the ‘me too’ movement and the openly feminist figures within Hollywood (a few of which worked on A Wrinkle in Time) have really encouraged a rise in female creative teams and female led casts. Similarly the film passes the Bechdel test- a challenge in which a film must feature at least two female characters and they must feature in two scenes where they talk to each other about something other than men. Upon watching the film, I noticed that it did indeed pass the Bechdel test and regarding the representation of women and femininity the film is not problematic in the slightest which highlights a positive change from past harmful portrayals of women. A Wrinkle in Time indicates a change in what was once a completely male operated industry and shows that the equality and representation that women have been striving for for years is finally beginning to show its head.
Ava Duvernay is a director on the rise and not only is she an innovative and forward thinking filmmaker she is a woman of colour in the position to accurately represent her demographic to mainstream and international audiences, something that is still quite a rarity within Hollywood. The cast of A Wrinkle in Time reflects the incredible diversity of the film. Storm Reid- a fourteen year old African American actress, plays Meg the central character of the film, her brother, Charles Wallace, is played by Deric McCabe who has Filipino heritage. Similarly, the trio of women in the film: Oprah Winfrey who plays Mrs. Which, Reese Witherspoon who plays Mrs. Whatsit and Mindy Kaling who plays Mrs. Who reflect the range of ethnicities represented in the film. In 2016, film critic Manohla Dargist coined the notion of the ‘DuVernay test’ which is similar to the Bechdel test only this test questions whether ‘African-Americans and other minorities have fully realized lives [within the film] rather than serving as scenery in white stories”. This film definitely passes the ‘DuVernay test’ since out of the main cast only three of the central characters are in fact white. Seeing the breadth of ethnicities displayed within the film signifies a step forward for Hollywood and indicates a shift away from the narrow representation of race and nationality within Western cinema.
Another positive feature of the film ,which stood out to me upon viewing, was the fact that although this is a film with a target audience of children it is a complex sci-fi story focussing on science and the universe yet it is also rooted in themes of family and morality. I felt that the film blended the two themes effortlessly together and it led to the film being incredibly thought provoking. The messages of morality and the quest to bring back the light (a symbol of all that is good) to the universe were traditional of Disney films and their classic storytelling tactics. Conforming to normal narrative conventions ensured that certain audiences for the film would enjoy the meaning behind it. However, I think the science aspect of the film brought a refreshing component, personally I think that family films should include more complex subject matters such as those presented in A Wrinkle in Time and filmmakers should start to be more adventures with the content that children are exposed to as I think it is important to challenge audiences as well as entertain.
Overall, A Wrinkle in Time is still a family friendly and fun film however I think it signifies a change within the industry. I would hope to see a rise in films produced, written and directed by women and people of colour in the coming years as I think it is time for equal representation within Hollywood and it is important that films about diverse characters are created by diverse filmmakers.