Educational Media Reviews Online

The Heretics is a work of love by Joan Braderman as she reconnects with the other women who were involved in the creation of the journal Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics. Heresies was published from 1977 to 1992. The film is a rich tapestry of interviews with original members woven in with archival films, photographs, journal issues and artwork. While the film discusses the obstacles faced by women in the art world, the issues of being a woman artist serve as a backdrop to the issues faced by all women in American society.

The first part of the film focuses on women’s political history in the U.S. from just before women’s suffrage was achieved in 1920 up through the 1970s (or Suffrage to Second Wave). This section of the film provides an excellent first person view (through the interviews) of the obstacles faced by women who wanted to move beyond the traditional roles assigned to them by American society.

The second part of the film brings out the development of the journal and what the journal symbolized to the women who worked on its publication. Since each issue was put together by a different team of women, each issue was unique and focused on a particular issue. Some of the topics covered by Heresies are Sex, Abortion, Lesbians, Art, Goddesses, Racism, Third World Women, and Women and Violence.

This film will be of most interest to women’s studies classes. While the issues of being a woman artist are explored, the greater focus is on feminism and social change.