Widows, the 2018 crime/thriller by director Steve McQueen, puts its female characters in the spotlight, as four women are forced to work together to clear the debt left behind by their deceased husbands’ criminal activities. As well as an awesome premise, the movie stars a kick-ass cast, with Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo making up the titular group of heroines. But despite everything working in its favor, Steve McQueen was frustrated with the studio’s lack of support towards the movie’s feminist message, and wished the film’s marketing was handled very differently.
Appearing at a Q&A at the London Film Festival (attended by MovieWeb), Steve McQueen recalled the frustrating marketing for Widows. The director didn’t dive into all the specifics, but discussed the movie’s poster. “Just look at the poster,” McQueen said. It would be safe to assume that the poster for Widows would feature, well, the widows. However, Hollywood executives weren’t sure a poster fronted by four female leads would be enough to sell the movie to general audiences. As a result, the core poster was changed to include the widows’ husbands as well — decimating any chances of the marketing passing the bechdel test.
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“It should have been the four women on that poster,” McQueen continued. The director recounted a meeting with an executive about the poster, and expressed his frustration about the ridiculous decision. McQueen continued, “So what you have on the poster, for example, is everyone on the poster. But if it’s for everybody, it’s for no one.” Attempting to understand the studio’s financially motivated decision (what Hollywood decision isn’t financially motivated?), Steve McQueen conceded, “They weren’t ready yet. People weren’t ready yet.”
Widows Is Steve McQueen’s Most Underrated Movie
When Steve McQueen’s name comes up, people like to discuss the obvious favorite, 12 Years a Slave (in their defense, it’s a phenomenal movie). More hardcore fans of the director will also mention his earlier works Hunger, about the hunger strikes held by Irish republicans in the 1980s, and Shame, about a man struggling with sex addiction. You may also be gearing up to watch his latest movie, Blitz, following a young woman’s journey to find her evacuated son amid a war-torn Britain in the 1940s. However, Widows often falls by the wayside.
The movie is certainly McQueen’s most Hollywood-esque project, and it’s clear he’s having fun with the film. Alongside the four female leads, Widows also stars Liam Neeson, Jon Bernthal, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Coburn Goss, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Carrie Coon, Daniel Kaluuya, and Brian Tyree Henry, among many more. Like many of his films, Widows is a tough, grueling watch, and explores a characteristically realistic take on the crime genre, filled with phenomenal performances from everyone involved, and beautiful, claustrophobic camera work. Widows is undoubtedly a film that audiences will rediscover in years to come. McQueen hopes that, when they do, it’s “with the right poster as well.”
- Release Date
- November 16, 2018
- Cast
- Daniel Kaluuya , Brian Tyree Henry , Liam Neeson , Cynthia Erivo , Michelle Rodriguez , Colin Farrell , Carrie Coon , Robert Duvall , Viola Davis , Elizabeth Debicki , Andre Holland , Jacki Weaver
- Runtime
- 130 Minutes