Half the Sky - Movie Review Example

The paper "Half the Sky Movie" is an exceptional example of a movie review on gender and sexual studies. Half the Sky is a four-hour documentary that was produced in focus to the book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The movie highlights the plight of women all over the world who experience oppression and are trying to curb the vice in their way or with the help of organizations. As a result, Kristof and WuDunn travel to major countries such as Sierra Leone, Cambodia, India, Somali, Kenya, and Vietnam to expose the oppression women face.

The oppressions facing women include female genital mutilation, rape, sex work, and maternal mortality. This movie explores some of these issues that affect women in society, particularly sex and gender.  Sex trafficking is one of the major elements under the theme of sex, which is highlighted by Kristof and Meg Ryan’s visit to Cambodia to explore the oppression concerning this issue. While in the country, Kristof and Meg Ryan meet Somaly Mam who is an anti-trafficking movement leader in the country.

In the country, most of the prostitutes, approximately more than a third are children. In this accord, Somaly Mam looks at the issue of sex trafficking from a personal account since she was a victim of the same when she was a child. Somaly Mam was introduced to the sex trade when she was just a young child, which frustrated her. As a result, she is trying hard to ensure that girls in the country do not follow her footsteps willingly or unwillingly (Reus and Ann, 101). Similarly, America Ferrera and Kristof visit India to spotlight forced prostitution as another part of the sex theme in the movie.

India is one of the major countries with high rates of prostitution. Facts indicate that India has approximately three million prostitutes with about 1.2 million of these being children. In most cases, children look up to their mothers and follow their footsteps to make a living without knowing that there is no easy way of exiting once someone starts. While in India, America Ferrera and Kristof meet with Urmi Basu, who is in the frontline to fight and break such activities in the country (Reus and Ann, 100).

Additionally, the movie explores the theme of gender, which is portrayed in different ways in the story. For instance, there is gender-based violence, which is the main component of the gender theme. To portray the theme of gender violence, Eva Mendes and Kristof visit Sierra Leone to analyze this oppression of gender-based violence. In Sierra Leone, most violence against women go scot-free either unreported or reported, but not investigated and prosecuted. While in Sierra Leone, Eva Mendes and Kristof meet with Amie Kandeh, who is a representative to the international rescue committee.

Amie Kandeh is striving to help women report such violence and make sure that they receive assistance accordingly. Another instance of gender-based violence is portrayed through girl-child education. In most undeveloped countries, girls never gain the advantage of going to school. To portray this, Gabrielle Union and Kristof visit Vietnam where girls are seen as second-class citizens. On the same issue, Olivia Wilde visited Kenya, the shining hope for communities’ organization and Kibera School.

In both countries, girls are disadvantaged since they never have the opportunity of going to school. However, there are channels of rehabilitating and making sure that girls got to school.In conclusion, half the sky is a movie that explores what women go through in different communities around the world. Nevertheless, the movie does not provide a chance to hear and sympathize with the women. The movie brings out a chance to stand and help women to avoid such oppressions of gender and sexual violence.