The trials and triumphs of women, synthetic and otherwise

Ryan Gosling may be at the center of Blade Runner 2049, but he’s surrounded by women: his boss at the police station, his opposite number on the corporate side of the investigation, his digital girlfriend, her human avatar, the leader of a rebellion — the list goes on. Even the film’s version of Ozymandias is female!

It’s a little like the complicated social dynamics of Better Watch Out, which sort of stars a babysitter but also stars her male charges. But that one slipped by the old Reader review board.

The Queen of Spain, on the other hand, takes a more traditional approach to elevating women: by making one the star and giving her authority. Te Ata does the same, telling the story of a Native American storyteller. There’s more female royalty in My Little Pony: The Movie in the form of Princess Twilight Sparkle, but that one escaped review as well. We did, however, catch What Have You Done to Solange?, which puts women at the other end of the spectrum by slaughtering them.

Kate Winslet, meanwhile, goes for something more equitable, starring alongside Idris Elba in the survival pic The Mountain Between Us.

Of course, not every film can be gynocentric: time should be taken to attend to seniors and surfers as well. And architecture — can’t forget that.