Kathryn Bigelow and 'man films'...

Kathryn Bigelow is not merely the first female to win an Oscar for best director, but only the fourth woman ever to be nominated. So not only does she deserve the award but it's overdue, and do I appreciate the fact that The Hurt Locker, perceived as a very male movie, is made by a woman? Why not? I get a huge buzz writing action scenes often/usually filled with men. It's been commented that the film is confusing, that it has a detached feel, that the average Iraqi is kept at a distance. Yet these are the problems with this war. Most of the men on the ground are not even sure why they're fighting there at all. Whatever - The Hurt Locker got its message across to me: beautifully written, acted and filmed - and I didn't mind the irony that there were no speaking parts for women. For God's sake, this manic, moving, amazing 'man film' was made by an actual woman (and over forty...)