INSPIRING REBELS

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​In pairs, your students create a collage presentation about an inspiring woman from the present or history. They visualize her acts of resistance and the reasons why she is inspiring. By also presenting these creative collages to their classmates, they gain more insight into the gender inequality that still exists worldwide.

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Discuss

Watch the film and discuss the 5W's as an introduction.

This way, your students process the information from the film and then delve deeper into the theme with the assignment.

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The 5W's:

- Who is the story about?
Who is the main character or protagonist?
Are there other characters?
Is there an antagonist or counterpart to the main character?
- What is the story about?
- Where does the story take place?
What can you say about the location?
- When does the story take place?
Is it set in a certain time period? How can you tell?
- Why or how does the story take a sudden turn?

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Assignment
‘The Soloists’ creatively shows how easily people, and more specifically women, can be deprived of their rights. Although it seems like a comic exaggeration in the film, it turns out at the end of the film that in various places women are not allowed to dance or sing in duos.

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The list is further supplemented with numerous examples and the film ends with the quote from philosopher Albert Camus:​ 'The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion'

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Have your students look for inspiring women who rebel against a strict regime.

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Divide your class into pairs.
They go in search of an inspiring woman who, despite the restrictions on her freedom, rebelled against the strict rules of her regime. These can be women from both the present and the past.
Each pair makes a collage. You can make a collage digitally in Canva.
Search the internet for inspiration.

 

Consider the following questions:
- Who is the woman? Where does she live/live?
- What restrictions were imposed on her?
- What was her act of resistance? What did she change through her act?
- Why do you find her inspiring? What did she teach you?

Present your collages to each other. And discuss each other's collages.

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WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

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Women's rights are human rights, right? Your students will discuss gender inequality worldwide, based on the film and a short video by Amnesty International about women's rights activists.

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Assignment
It seems obvious that women's rights are human rights. Many women and girls around the world are still discriminated against due to gender inequality. Women's rights organizations have been campaigning for years to draw attention to problems that mainly affect women and girls, and thus eliminate inequality.

To introduce the class discussion, also watch this short video from Amnesty International.

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Discuss the film, this additional video and the theme of women's and human rights with your class.​

You can use the following questions as a starting point :​

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- What kind of society is depicted in the film The Soloist?
- How does it differ from the society we live in here?
- Which characters did you see in the film?
- How was their freedom restricted?
- What concrete examples of restrictions on freedom did you see in the film?
- Why do these restrictions go against human rights?
- At the end of the film, two different quotes were shown? Do you remember which ones?
- What did these quotes add to the story?
- Do you think a society like the one in the film exists? Why or why not? Can you think of examples?
- Why is it important to stand up for the rights of women from all over the world?
- Are you familiar with the quote from writer Maya Angelou: “None of us are free, until all of us are free?” 

What do you think she means by this? can you link this to the movie?​​

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IMPROVEMENT KEY

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•What kind of society is depicted in the film The Soloist?
The society in the film has many restrictions.

The women are allowed to do almost nothing.

 

•How is this different from the society we live in here?
In Greece, the things that are forbidden in the film are allowed.

We are allowed to dance and ride bicycles, for example.

 

•Which characters did you see in the film?
Three older women - Their dog - Other women who want to join the group

 

•How was their freedom restricted?
They are not allowed to sing, unless in groups of three or more. So they hold secret auditions when one of them dies. Keeping a dog is also forbidden

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•What concrete examples of restrictions on freedom did you see in the film?
At the beginning of the film, we see many prohibition signs hanging up. For example, it is forbidden to shout through a loudspeaker, bananas are forbidden, cycling is also forbidden, high heels are not allowed, dancing is forbidden ... They are arrested at the end of the film because the dog sings along.

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•Why do these go against human rights?

You can compare the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the film with your students. You can consult a short version here .
 

•At the end of the film, two different quotes were shown? Do you remember which ones?
Quote 1: Today, in many countries, it is forbidden for women to sing alone, have a dog, ride a bike, dance, eat a cucumber on TV … (followed by a long list)
Quote 2: A quote from Albert Camus: The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

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•What did these quotes add to the story?
They provide context for the film. The first quote indicates that the absurd prohibitions in the film are a daily reality for many people. The second quote is an inspiring text for people who live under these prohibitions to resist within this regime despite an unfree society. Camus states that there is room for individual interpretation of the concept of freedom.

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•Do you think a society like the one in the film exists? Why or why not?
Certainly, the film itself indicates that many women have to live under these prohibitions.
 

•Can you think of examples?
Iran was used as an example in the film. There, women are not allowed to sing, dance or eat cucumbers on TV.
 

•Why is it important to stand up for the rights of women from all over the world?
Women's rights are human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drawn up and signed in 1948. In order to fulfill these promises and treaties, a collective effort (across national borders) is important.
 

•Are you familiar with the quote from writer Maya Angelou "None of us are free, until all of us are free?" or translated: no one is free until we are all free. What do you think she means by this? Can you link this to the film? The quote states that freedom is not something ind.
The women in the film are not free and that has an impact on how they and other women in the same area (have to) live. It has an impact on the structure of their society, which is then also connected to other societies and the world.

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What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we have in this film?​​

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SOURCES - FURTHER READING

Institut Francais - lesinbeeld - SDGs - App Canva - Amnesty International - Maya Angelou - 

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