A Woman Like Eve

The most disappointing aspect of A Woman Like Eve is how little we have progressed since its release in 1979. Made by radical feminist director, Nouchka van Brakel, the film feels less radical feminist manifesto and more common sense and decency. And yet, many of the struggles in A Woman Like Eve still affect women and lesbians today. Also, there’s a weird amount of 7Up product placement in the movie?

A Woman Like Eve begins with the unhappiness of wife and mother, Eve. After she has a breakdown on mother’s day, her husband, Ad sends her to the seaside to recover. Clearly Ad didn’t do enough research on the location, however as Eve’s vacation spot happens to be right near a commune. Eve meets one of the commune members, Liliane. She maintains a correspondence with Liliane after her return and she and Liliane occasionally meet up at events for women’s rights. Eventually, Eve realizes it’s more than friendship she feels for Liliane and the two begin an affair. While initially, Ad isn’t threatened by his wife’s feelings for another woman, he eventually causes a scene at a birthday party and the couple splits up. Now, Eve must fight for custody of her children as her relationship with another woman is a huge strike against her in custody court.

A Woman Like Eve’s first priority is to be a feminist manifesto. What’s good about the film is that Nouchka van Brakel also knows how to direct. I’ve seen very political-minded films before that are okay as manifestos but fail as films. A Woman Like Eve largely succeeds. There’s plot structure and someone behind the camera who knows the basics of movie making. This artistic know-how helps in getting the political points across.

Though admittedly, the pacing is a bit weird. The first two acts follow Eve’s slow burn affair with Liliane. Then, the last act is jam-packed with the most amount of political conflict as it’s where custody comes into it. Not only is the pacing rushed, but the political aspects are too. There’s an entire movie you could make about a custody battle in 1979. Jamming it only into the last act sometimes makes the critiques feel surface level. In fact, the film ends with Ad being awarded custody because he’s getting remarried. And honestly, I don’t disagree with that decision. Father with a stable job and home in the city honestly does seem like a better environment than Eve who lives on a boat and has a commune girlfriend who visits her occasionally.

I’m also stuck between being sad at how little things have progressed and being impressed by how progressive the Netherlands was in 1979. Eve does initially receive custody of her children. That there’s even a debate about whether she, a woman in a lesbian relationship can care for her children feels very forward-thinking. But it’s also very depressing that the treatment Eve gets from the courts and day-to-day living with her female partner feels like it would fit in a movie made in 2021, at least in America or Canada.

What the film does very successfully is show Eve’s battle and priorities of her children versus herself. Through the film, she is a very present mother. Then, the exception comes when finally she wants something for herself. That something is Liliane. Even here though, Eve’s first priority is her children. Motherhood is always Eve’s priority. The film simply asks, why does that have to be the only thing in her life? She’s a loving, present mother. But why is that the only thing she can be and why can she not find her own joy?

A Woman Like Eve is a really interesting relic of a film. In a decade where most lesbian representation in film was villains or fetish objects, this film feels incredibly progressive. While there are some pacing issues, this is a largely successful film in terms of both narrative and political manifesto. The tragedy of A Woman Like Eve is that its themes of emotional labour, lesbian discrimination and custody battles still feel prescient 40 years later. I wish this film was just a relic but it still feels relevant in 2021.

Overall rating: 7.4/10

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