ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author consider five popular films from the 1950s to the present as emblematic expressions of gendering practices as well as formative participants in those practices. The portrayal of women in films focused the author attention on the gendered dynamics that conditioned women's lives. Working with films as metaphorical points of reference in analysis is particularly relevant in exploring gendered dynamics with women analysands. Clinically, it is not uncommon for women to feel cut off from and even ignorant of their capacity to experience sexual pleasure fully. Gaining awareness of the projected unconscious aspects of self is an initial step in the ego’s differentiation from and relationship to the unconscious. The tragedy of the film is that neither woman had life experiences that allowed them to see or trust other options. Making use of film with a woman in analysis can allow for articulation of her gender identity and the confrontation of shadow components in her personality.
