Gary Null's For Women Only (1999)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Bob Marty
Starring Gary Null

Features:

• weblinks
  

Rating: NR, suitable for all audiences

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Rent it.

Some of the topics covered in For Women Only are dealing with women’s medical conditions, disarming the myth of beauty, dieting, and self-worth. The medical conditions covered in the disc include such important topics as heart disease and breast cancer. Null understands what is important to women—we want to know how to head off these serious diseases, and we want to learn how to navigate the harsh waters that society charts for us, expecting us to be different things to different people.

One of the interesting segments in For Women Only is Null’s discussion of rediscovering the sacred in everyday life. His words may not be anything terribly new, but he puts his thoughts together very well, and is quite convincing. It is nice that in helping viewers learn to support their bodies, he doesn’t neglect the other parts of us, and he doesn’t need to subscribe to a specific spiritual path or advocate a certain way to do it.

The audio and video for For Women Only are both good enough, if not exactly inspired. I detected no crackling or skipping, and the audio was nicely consistent all the way through.

I do think, however, that the filming itself could have used a bit more inspiration. While Null’s presentation is energetic and interesting, and he does all he can to carry the whole show, there’s only so long your average viewer will want to stare at a stranger walking back and forth across a stage in your standard corporate meeting room. Perhaps they could have intercut scenes where Null is being interviewed in his office, merely for a change of scenery, or perhaps showing women exercising or doing some of the things he recommends... just something to spice it up a bit. As a teacher myself, I am sympathetic to the limitations of your average visual aides, etc., but then I don’t have access to production companies, graphic artists, musicians, and other video professionals.

Sometimes, men and women alike need to be given permission to take care of themselves. While this isn’t exactly a good thing, it’s hard to deny that it’s true. Null’s disc goes a long way toward giving women the information and motivation that they need to live fuller, healthier, and happier lives, avoiding many of the traps that they set for themselves, as well as the traps society sets for them. If you are a woman who wants to avoid many of the common female ailments, such as depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, or osteoporosis, listen to what Null has to say. If you know or care for a woman, then make sure she has access to this disc… she’ll live a better life, and you’ll be glad you could be a part of it.