Feminist Reading of Thelma and Louise

Thelma and Louise

Tagline: Somebody said get a life..so they did.
Directed by Ridely Scott Released on 1991 Runtime: 130 mins Genre: Adventure|| Crime|| Drama Budget: $16.5 million

Synopsis
Thelma is a married woman who is quite fearful of his husband Darryl. Louise works in a fast food restaurant who has some problems with her friend Jimmy. One day they decide to break out of their normal life and head out for a two-day vacation in the mountains.

Synopsis
But their tour turns out to a nightmare when Louise kills a man who tries to rape Thelma. This act set into motion a series of events which turn the worlds of Thelma and Louise upside down. Police starts to chase them while they decide to flee to Mexico. They run from place to place but finally fail to save themselves.

Feminism and Thelma And Louise

Feminism and Thelma And Louise

The film is centered around two characters both of which are female. They words and actions of these two characters are not only feminists but outrageously so. Thelma and Louises journey on the road can be described as the self-empowering odyssey.

Feminism and Thelma And Louise

The film really takes on a feminist perspective when the two women leave behind their homes and shackles of daily lives in order to find freedom. As they are driving on the road they are going away and escaping from all the burdens that tie them down back home, especially the men in their lives.

Feminism and Thelma And Louise

Both the women are unhappy with their relationships and thats why they depend on each other and try to find comfort and solidarity in their friendship. Throughout the film, we see that the women gain authority and take charge of their lives. They become assertive and fearless.

Feminism and Thelma And Louise

The film sharply contrasts the conventional road films in which the male characters tells the story and women are the visual stimuli or sexual objects the men merely meet along the way. Moreover, something of opposite sort is shown in the film, when Thelma seduces an attractive male drifter, J.D., the way men usually treat women in such films.

Feminism and Thelma And Louise

Thelma and Louise go against cultural norms as they become violent and aggressive as the film progresses. Thelma and Louise dont shy away and challenges all the threats posed by the patriarchal society. Even at the very last scene they deny to surrender to the police and chose to kill themselves instead.

Clips from the Film and Their Analysis