REPRESENTATION OF PATRIARCHY IN THE MOVIE CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY (2022) BY LENA DUNHAM

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the representation of patriarchy and how the main character resists it in the film Catherine Called Birdy (2022), directed by Lena Dunham. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method. The participant is the main character, Birdy, whose experiences of patriarchy and resistance form the central focus of the analysis. Data were collected through repeated viewing of the film, followed by identification and classification of relevant dialogues and cinematographic elements. The data were then analyzed using Kate Millett’s theory of patriarchy from Sexual Politics (1970). The results show that patriarchy in the film operates through the authority of the father figure, who controls the body, decisions, and future of the main character. Women in the film are positioned as subordinate, treated as property, and expected to obey male authority. However, the study also finds that the main character actively resists this system through deliberate actions such as hiding signs of adulthood, refusing suitors, and behaving outside the standards expected of her. This study concludes that patriarchy is not a natural system but a social construct that can be recognized and challenged, and that Millett’s theory remains a relevant framework for analyzing gender power dynamics in contemporary film. This study contributes to the field of gender studies and film analysis by demonstrating that Millett’s (1970) theory of patriarchy remains a relevant and effective framework for reading gender power dynamics in contemporary cinema, and by showing that resistance can emerge from positions of powerlessness through everyday acts of deliberate defiance.