Women And Hollywood In 2017: In Front Of The Camera And Behind

08:10

December 15, 2017

Meghna Chakrabarti
Kassandra Sundt

In this May 25, 2017 file photo, director Patty Jenkins, left, and actress Gal Gadot arrive at the world premiere of "Wonder Woman" at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. The film grossed $103.1 million in North America over its debut weekend, a figure that easily surpassed industry expectations, set a new record for a film directed by a woman and bested all previous stand-alone female superhero movies put together. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" premiered late Thursday night. Does the latest installment answer key questions about Rey — the mysterious, strong with the Force, young woman at the center of the franchise reboot?

Early reviews seem to say that Daisy Ridley does a good job again in the role — she's shouldering quite a burden being a central female character in an historically male-dominated movie franchise.

On the one hand, 2017 has been a year of reckoning about the massive challenges, sexism, and harassment women face in Hollywood. On the other hand, we've seen some fierce ladies on screen this year as well. What do the two trends mean for women in film?

Guest

Kate Taylor, film critic at the Globe & Mail. She tweets @thatkatetaylor.