The Weight of the World
from 1969: A Space Odyssey or How Kubrick Learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon
Written by Natasha Pincus
Barbara, a woman tasked with assisting the demanding filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, confronts him about the double standards of ambition and domestic sacrifice. She expresses her resentment over being judged for leaving her children for work while men like Kubrick are celebrated as heroes for the same behavior.
BARBARA: I don’t want to play. Not tonight.
KUBRICK: [Steps in and turns on the light] What do you like?
BARBARA: Checkers.
KUBRICK: Checkers is a game for idiots.
BARBARA: Then I’m an idiot, Mr. Kubrick. Do you think I want to be here? Constantly baby sitting you? I should be taking care of my own children.
KUBRICK: Work also pulls me away from the family I love.
BARBARA: It’s not the same. You get to leave home and know everything will be fine when you get back.
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