A Preponderance of Evidence (1989)

The stories of three women intertwine in voiceover to Sandra Davis' collage of contradictory images: a Florida swamp, mermaids, the majestic medieval architecture of Europe, Anita Hill before Congress and abstract color and light, interspersed with bits of 1950s educational films. These are shocking testimonies about the burden of female identity: illegal abortions performed in the '50s without anesthesia; the dynamics of the relationship between husbands and wives; the inability to participate in the enjoyment of sex. Davis captures and preserves these women's private experiences (perhaps as a warning so that their struggles need not be repeated). The victim heroines of European opera sing throughout the film, joining with voices of these women as they recount their stories. The educational films provide the context of scientific belief and oppressive patriarchal notions of growing up and avoiding "going bad." A mixture of documentary and narrative filmmaking, Davis' powerful film is a personal female journey to deconstruct the burden of inherited identity. - Stela Jelincic