Still, what truly raises the bar for Hustlers is the way Scafaria subtly weaves in the female gaze, with the help of a nearly all-female crew. Kayla Emter’s editing, which gave us J.Lo’s powerful opening scene, is just one element at play. Another is that we know barely any of the names of the dozens of men who waft in an out of these women’s lives.They simply don’t matter in the context of this story. It’s rare that we get to see groups of women just be, in a way that feels lived in and authentic. One scene, during a Christmas party held at Ramona’s sumptuous apartment at the height of their con’s success, is ostensibly there to showcase the kind of wealth these women now have access to. But more than anything, what comes across is the joyous, raucous fun that a group of female friends can have together, without the fighting, drama or backstabbing that usually creeps into on-screen portrayals. Of course, some of that does come later, but even then, it’s not without complexity.