“From The Back Of The Room,” a documentary by Amy Oden, wants audiences to know that the punk rock community has its problems too — it’s not the utopian, egalitarian scene they all want it to be, especially when it comes to the fairer sex. The film begins with a question: “Let’s make more room for each other; if we don’t, who will?”
The film deals with several contentious topics in the community, namely beauty, sexuality, motherhood, sexual and physical abuse, sexism and racism. It ends with advice from all the women who were interviewed.
The first third of the movie focuses on the background of punk music and each woman’s experiences in the community. Interviews were done with legendary punk rockers like Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Kirsten Patches (Naked Aggression), Laura Pleasants (Kylesa), Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile) and so many more. The stories they told were supplemented by old photos, concert fliers and underground publications. Each woman was asked how and why they got into the punk scene, and the answers are very diverse. For some, it was rebellion, for others, it was self-expression after childhood repression. Most of the women were at least in their early ‘30s, and only a few were younger.
For each of them, being a female punk is a big accomplishment. The stories some of the women told about the sexism and abuse they suffered through in the name of music are shocking. For a community that claims to be against misrepresentation and “labeling,” the punk scene has a lot to learn.
Punk music opened women’s horizons, especially those from small rural towns, but the extent to which they were allowed to participate in it was significantly smaller than their male counterparts. Oden and the women of the film make the point that for a community that has a reputation for being a “catch-all” place for misfits, it’s surprisingly discriminatory towards most people.
At the beginning of the punk scene, there were few women on or off the stage, and those that were there were mostly girlfriends. Similarly, there was a disproportionately small amount of minorities in the community.
The film flashes back to the Riot Grrl era, when girl punks embraced their femininity more than they had previously. By creating all-women bands, women fought back against the stereotypes of male-dominated music. Punk-feminism was born out of necessity, as women became frustrated with being relegated to the role of “mannequin girlfriend.” In order to gain entry into the scene, they had to stick together and fight the power.
Several women spoke about dealing with verbal harassment from men in the crowd. All-women bands are often discriminated against and undervalued because they are female. Sexism, racism, and homophobia are rampant in the punk community. Punk culture is about defying the system, but without allowing anyone other than white heterosexual males to join, they’re just reflecting it.
The violent nature of the music and the culture sometimes manifests itself in sexual and physical abuse. The film mentions a trio of attacks at the Pointless Stage Fest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and how they brought attention to the assumed sense of a trustworthy community.
The film’s argument is that despite being all about fighting the system and “labeling,” the homophobic, racist, sexist punks are allowing the system to continue influencing society. It focuses on the idea that punk culture is not an ideal world in which everyone cohabitates peacefully. Each interview gives examples of the discrimination and vulgarity of the men these women come into contact with.
Women object to not being taken seriously, and they’ll prove why they should be. All the women in this film are loud, proud, and trying to make a difference in everyone’s lives, not just their own.
dgooley@theeagleonline.com
