Abstract:
Cinema is a powerful medium for reflecting and challenging societal gender norms. This study compares how traditional gender roles are constructed and contested in contemporary German and Sri Lankan cinema through representative case studies of Toni Erdmann (Germany, 2016) and Burning Birds (Davena Vihagun, Sri Lanka, 2016). Selected for their thematic depth, female protagonists, and critical acclaim, these films depict women navigating patriarchal systems. The films were chosen through purposive sampling based on their relevance to the research focus on gender, national identity, and female agency. The research objective was to compare how Toni Erdmann and Burning Birds portray women’s agency and resistance within patriarchal structures, examining the influence of Germany’s entrepreneurial culture and Sri Lanka’s post-war trauma on these representations. The research question asks: How do these films construct and challenge women’s agency and gender roles, and how do national contexts shape these portrayals? Using qualitative comparative film analysis informed by Feminist Film Theory and cultural studies, the study analyzed each film’s narrative, character development, mise-en-scène, and dialogue through semiotic and narrative analysis, then compared their gender role portrayals. Specific attention was given to emotional labour, visual symbolism, and the social positioning of female protagonists in relation to national ideologies.
Findings indicate Toni Erdmann critiques workplace gender stereotypes through the protagonist’s subversive humour, such as defying corporate norms, while Burning Birds portrays women’s resilience through acts of economic independence in a war-torn society.
While Ines resists neoliberal pressures through ironic detachment, Kusum’s silent endurance challenges victimhood narratives through embodied suffering. Germany’s entrepreneurial culture reinforces corporate hierarchies in Toni Erdmann, while Sri Lanka’s post-war trauma amplifies survival strategies in Burning Birds. The films both affirm and subvert national gender stereotypes by presenting complex portrayals of women who neither fully conform to nor reject societal norms. This research contributes to film, gender, and intercultural studies by highlighting cinema’s role in redefining gender norms across contrasting national and historical contexts, and advocates for further study of underrepresented national cinemas, particularly from the Global South, to enrich global feminist discourse.
