Major Movie Characters You Never See
By Isabella Wilson
A remake of the 1939 film of the same name (which, in turn, was an adaptation of a 1936 stage play), 2008's The Women starred huge names like Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Bette Midler, Debra Messing, Candice Bergen, and the late Carrie Fisher. Focusing on four friends in varying stages of life, the film tells the story of Mary (Ryan), a successful clothing designer, whose husband is having an affair with a perfume salesgirl at Saks. Though her friends rally around her, her closest friend Sylvie (Bening), who discovered the affair in the first place, ends up betraying Mary too. Eventually, Mary repairs her marriage, the friends come together, and Sylvie even publishes a magazine about their shared bond.
Even though a significant portion of the film focuses on Mary's marital struggles, the film features no men, not even as extras, making it a unique, female-driven affair. By keeping the focus on the women entirely, the message and story remain clear, and it sends a powerful message that a movie doesn't need men to succeed — nor do these women.
