What is Wrong with this Picture?
This film consists of a collage of scenes, five to ten minutes in length), in which women are always the superordinates and men are always the subordinates. Dialogue isn’t that important, so once the scenes are decided upon and roughed out, the cast can probably improv rather than follow a script.
Suggested scenes:
Office: Woman in executive office summons her secretary, who is a man, who enters and politely inquires “Yes, m’am?” She says something like “Ask Ms. Jordan to come to my office, then bring us coffee, please, and hold all calls.” He nods in subordinate fashion and exits.
Boardroom: Seated around the table discussing important matters are, every one of them, women.
Hospital scene: Female doctors and male nurses and clerks.
University: Female faculty and male support staff.
Bank: Male tellers; occupants of individual offices are all women.
Courtroom: Judge, lawyers, and security are women; clerk is male.
Golf course: Only women are playing.
Office: Woman executive directs her male assistant to call her husband and tell him she’ll be late for dinner.
Home: Househusband answers the phone, surrounded by cloying, annoying kids, and shows irritation at the message.
Fancy restaurant: Several women dine together and discuss business.
Doctor’s office: Female doctor giving embarrassed man a physical, which includes a close examination of his penis as well as a rectal examination.
Househusband taking kids to the dentist: The waiting room is full of fathers and kids; the receptionist is male, as is the dental hygienist; the dentist, who breezes in for the authoritative final check of the hygienist’s work, is female.
Househusband grocery shopping: All of the other shoppers and all of the checkout cashiers are men; a woman is in the manager’s office.
Home: Husband sets the table and brings out the dinner he has prepared; kids and mother sit waiting; perhaps the woman offers to help, but the offer isn’t really genuine and is brushed aside. with a smile.
Guests for dinner: Two male-female couples are sitting at a dinner table; the conversation is dominated by the women who talk about politics; the two men are silent, though they look supportive from time to time and interject supportive comments, questions to let the women shine; one of the women says something like “Let’s let the boys clean up, shall we?” and the two women retire to the living room for drinks and more conversation.
Office lunchroom: All and only men sit in small groups talking about their kids, the need for an on-site daycare, their failure to obtain promotions, their bosses; a sweet male voice comes over intercom “Danny, Ms. X would like to see you right away”, at which Danny grimaces but gets up and leaves the room.
Car: Woman at the wheel, man in the passenger seat.
