Steve McQueen (Shame, 12 Years a Slave) did what most directors would not dare to do. He installed Liam Neeson and Jon Bernthal — two actors who were identical with machismo — in the ranks of the players, giving both short roles to accommodate the creation of treats themed women’s empowerment. Behind the heist concept, Widows, which was adapted from the British television series titled the same (1983-1985), also scattered a variety of complex topics such as sexism, corrupt politics, to racism.
Four women – Veronica (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Amanda (Carrie Coon) – amid grieving over the death of their respective husbands after the failure of a robbery led by Harry (Liam Neeson). As if it wasn’t enough, other problems took turns, one of them was Jamal’s demands (Brian Tyree Henry), the mafia boss who was robbery victim Harry and friends, to Veronica to return the stolen money, which would be used to campaign to overthrow its rival, Jack (Colin Farrell )
Writing the script with Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), McQueen explained the bitter reality of widows who were often seen as weak helpless after being left behind by a male companion. It was this negative stigma that Widows tried to undermine, where widows were forced to bear the sins of their late husband. “Just dead is still troublesome”. Maybe that’s the rough sentence. But that’s where the women of this film find a way to prove themselves.
Widows is a process of proving independence and separated from the shadow of a man. Veronica is threatened by Jamal, Linda loses her shop due to her husband’s gambling debt, but the most binding story comes from Alice. A victim of domestic violence, dependence on her husband made it difficult for her to find her own footing. Even the mother (Jacki Weaver) forced her to dredge rich men’s money for survival, because according to her, women should not be independent and must rely on men’s support.