It’s the kind of thing that a male director isn’t necessarily consider when filming an action scene (as evidenced by the many movies featuring heroines and/or villainesses with long hair flying in their faces), but it became incorporated into Birds of Prey courtesy of screenwriter Christina Hodson and director Cathy Yan – the latter recently calling it “a big middle finger” to what can be perceived as the standard.
It’s a small thing, but there’s a very good reason why it’s garnered notice: it’s a moment that purely originates from, to use a simple label, “the female perspective.”