Michel is exemplary of a character that is misogynistic, ignorant and insecure. This is illustrated through the film’s opening sequence. For instance, after hotwiring the engine of the car, we see Michel refusing to ride along with his female accomplice, he then comments on two women hitchhikers as “being ugly,” and finally he refers to a female driver as “cowardice”, while simultaneously proclaiming women as being incompetent at driving. All of these instances exemplify Michel’s anxiousness in the rise of women’s independence in society. This is illustrated through the characterization of Michael. For instance, he is a wannabe Hoodlum who steals murders and is a hypocrite. This is hinted at when he refers to women as being penniless, on the …show more content…
He tells Patricia “why don’t you wear a bra?” In response, Patricia stands up for herself and Michael apologizes. As the movie progresses, Michel’s sole intention is attaining Patricia’s love whereas for Patricia it’s not merely money, but rather autonomy and complete independence. This is further exemplified in the aforementioned example. For instance, Patricia is an independent woman and cannot be constrained to a bra. In another instance, the bedroom sequence implicitly suggests a narration filled with deception. “I’ll stare at you until you stop staring at me,” says Patricia. “Me, too,” he replies. Here, Michel is engrossed with love, deceiving the gangster role he had seemed to portray. On the contrary, Patricia uses Michael to her advantage by travelling around in Michel’s expensive cars and eating at good restaurants. This implicitly helps her achieving her objective of becoming a journalist; on the contrary, no matter how thuggish Michael wishes to appear, he falls within Mr. Parvulesco’s framing of men, whereby his significance is achieved through women. Towards the end Breathless exemplifies of a narrative that illustrates constant struggles individuals have within themselves. However, there is a gradual shift in character roles. This is illustrated through the thumb swap across the lip which is a prominent motif in breathless. Here, Patricia seems to have obtained the