Elizabeth Zott, the protagonist of “Food with Chemistry,” would have a hard time reading measurements like “pinch” or “whatever you order,” so common in Spanish recipe books. For them, who refer to vinegar by its chemical formula, cooking is an exact science. It is also the physical space into which she is relegated by her fellow chemists’ disregard for her role as a woman. He’s not a real character, but he could be one. History is full of names of scientists whose achievements have been made invisible, and it’s so common that it has a name: the Matilda Effect. There are still jobs where the presence of women is suspicious, some as absurd as saving the world in tights. Brie Larson, the leading actress of the exquisite AppleTV series, knows it well – not to mention Six-Thirty, the unexpected narrator of a chapter as original as it is devastating – a real victim of the most cowardly misogyny that hides behind the anonymity for her role as captain Marvel.
Stephen King wondered days ago why there was so much gloating about the poor box office results of “The Marvels”. It didn’t take long for him to answer: “It’s the youthful hatred of fanboys. You already know: “Yuck! GIRL!”. Larson’s new adventure was met with ridicule even before it was made into a film. Just like “She Hulk,” “Ms. Marvel,” 2016’s “Ghostbusters,” the latest “Star Wars” installments and every product from traditional male genre that includes female protagonists. It’s no coincidence that “Seven Women” is John Ford’s most underrated Western and “Caravan of Women” is considered a subordinate Wellman. The explanation is simple: YUCK! GIRL!
The Marvels don’t deserve such ridicule. It’s light, fun, entertaining and, pleasant surprise, short. Everything required of a superhero film has always been sufficient, at least for the male ones.
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