Monotone narration in Miss Representation

One critique people have about Miss Representation by Newsom (2011), is that her narration was in a monotone voice. People think this gives the film a more boring and less serious tone. I on the other hand think it makes the film more powerful. I believe Newsom took away her personal emotion so that the film was less about her emotion but rather about her story. Women are more likely to state a fact in a higher tone and finish the sentence almost as if they are asking a question. I think Newsom uses  monotone to state the fact. She avoids leaving it up to interpretation but rather states what is true.

One thought on “Monotone narration in Miss Representation”

  1. I agree, Newsom telling her own story without changing the tone of her voice made her narration more powerful. She was able to attract the audience from the first few minutes of the movie and then closed with a dialog about her daughter. It is a bookend that is significant and makes the audience really ponder the topic and want change. I think her story makes the movie more moving and influential because it is her own voice. It is like our college essays that tell a story or about something significant in our lives. The reader relates to us and is either moved by it or has their opinion about it. Without Newsom’s own voice, I think this film would feel long and boring. I related to Newsom and enjoyed her story as well as many of the women. I think she is a powerful director and many people should learn from the way she made Miss Representation. It is well thought out and directed magically.
    I think it was powerful that she picked only women to interview because with a men’s perspective it may have felt different and objectively have been different.

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