REVENGE

Let me start by talking about how I became interested in the feminist movement. For me, all I ever did growing up was play sports. I was taught how to be tough, how to set aside your emotions, and how to become a machine. Through my graduate work, something that became a topic of interest to me was Title IX. Initially, I just thought it was a good way to stay involved with sports. But actually now I am so thankful that I indulged my work with Title IX, because it has taught me all about the feminist movement and how important the sexual harrassment aspect of Title IX really is. Title IX has taught me how important emotions and feelings are, but more importantly it re-defined my definition of strength and power.

Amidst me learning more in depth about sexual harassment and Title IX, the MeToo movement started and showed me how important feminism, strength and power really are. To see female writers in film such as Shonda Rhimes and Coralie Fargeat try to defeat odds and break through the glass ceiling, and use film as a mechanism of symbolism to reach large audiences, is breathtaking. Coralie Fargeat’s film, Revenge, absolutely blew my mind for so many different reasons.

First, the symbolism embedded throughout the film made a clear connection to societies hegemonic ideals and customs. The characterization of the male figures to animals and the representation of feminism was woven throughout each scene. The location of the film, was actually quite boring as the desert stretched for miles and there seemed to be nothing but dirt and rocks. But, that emphasized the ability to succeed with little resources, for the making of the film and for the characters.

There is no better of a way to make a message clear, then by using a minimum amount of words... right? This film only had 14 minutes of dialogue, yet I never felt the silence. The eye of the audience was always drawn to a message, a symbol, or an event. The lack of dialogue allowed the audience to interpret what each character was thinking and feeling. In addition, there was only four characters the whole time. Only noting four characters adds to the simplicity of the film, but also emphasizes the complexity at the same time. There is no room for confusion or misunderstandings, and it adds to Jens ruthless revenge on every single character. The way Fargeat portrayed the main character, Jen resembled a superhero. Her character resembles all the other girls who have been sexually assaulted and have been hushed as a result.

The symbolism within the film is principle to the plot of curiousity. As London is all about the “eye”, eyes actually became an important interpretation of this film. While Stan was raping Jen, Dimitri had watched what was going to happen. He could have stepped in, but decided to ignore it. This lead Jen to gouge his eyeballs out in revenge. The relationship this has to modern society yet again successfully emphasizes the importance of speaking up when seeing something of this nature. While our eyes only seem like a systematic part of our body that helps us see, it also helps us tell stories.

My one critique/question of this empowering and gory film, is the way Jen’s body is portrayed. Why must all female badass characters be hot? Most female superheroes are represented as very attractive, thin, and curvy. I would have liked to see something that goes against the stereotypical female badass. I realize her body heavily plays into the interpretation of the film, so I challenge to ask what it would have been like if her body was not emphasized as much. Would it have had the same impact on the audience?

This movie was nothing like I’d ever seen before, and yet I have a profound appreciation for it and want to watch it all over again. Beyond the blood, guts, and gore of it all, the message embedded in throughout the film was explored through the simplicity of the environment, context, and characters. But the complexity comes from the topic of the issue of sexual harassment and how it has become a normalized part of society. Fargeat nailed an important mix of the two and challenges the audiences boundaries.