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What I Want My Words to Do to You

Name: What I Want My Words to Do to You
Director: Gary Sunshine, Judith Katz, Madeleine Gavin
Released: 2003
Duration: 78 min

Representation Score

9.2/10

Excellent

2003

Director

Gary Sunshine, Judith Katz, Madeleine Gavin

Runtime

78 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The documentary excels at reclaiming the voices of underrepresented women, transforming them from convicted murderers into creative intellectuals. By centering Eve Ensler’s workshop, the film successfully disrupts traditional carceral hierarchies and female criminal archetypes. While the film provides strong gender and cultural critiques, it lacks specific visibility regarding LGBTQ+ identities and physical or neurodivergent disabilities. The representation of race is bolstered by the diverse cast of performers, though the internal workshop dynamics are less detailed. Ultimately, the work serves as a powerful study of identity and control over one's life, using art to challenge institutional authority and societal expectations of women.

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Category Breakdown

Does What I Want My Words to Do to You have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

Eve Ensler’s facilitation introduces a framework often associated with queer feminist theory. However, the film lacks explicit depictions of specific LGBTQ+ identities among the workshop participants.

How does What I Want My Words to Do to You portray gender?

Excellent

The documentary centers women's ability to drive the story by focusing on women convicted of murder. It challenges clichés of female criminality by highlighting their intellectual and creative capacities through writing.

How racially and ethnically diverse is What I Want My Words to Do to You?

Good

The film features a diverse ensemble of actors, including Rosie Perez and Marisa Tomei. The workshop itself includes fifteen women from various backgrounds, suggesting a heterogeneous group.

How does What I Want My Words to Do to You represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative explores subjective morality and critiques traditional Western carceral institutions. It goes beyond punitive justice to examine how systemic issues intersect with individual control over their lives.

Does What I Want My Words to Do to You include disability representation?

Fair

The film explores psychological and emotional complexities but lacks specific visibility regarding neurodivergent or physical disability narratives. The focus remains on gender and the legal system.

Present on Screen

Strong emphasis on women's ability to drive the story and intellectual reclamation.
Effective challenge to traditional criminal archetypes through creative expression.
Diverse casting of acclaimed actors to perform the women's work.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit representation for specific LGBTQ+ identities.
Insufficient focus on neurodivergent or physical disability narratives.
Limited documentation of specific racial dynamics within the workshop group.

Official Synopsis

An inside look at a writing workshop led by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, consisting of 15 women, most of whom were convicted of murder. Through a series of exercises and discussions, the women delve into their pasts and explore the nature of their crimes and the extent of their own culpability. The film culminates in an emotionally charged prison performance of the women's writing by acclaimed actors Mary Alice, Glenn Close, Hazelle Goodman, Rosie Perez, and Marisa Tomei.

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