Thelma And Louise Essay

Upon the 1991 release of Ridley Scott’s film, Thelma and Louise, it quickly coined the title of being a “man hating film.” Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) are two best friends who were initially going on a girl’s trip, but the two suddenly find themselves on the run after Louise kills a man in order to defend Thelma. The film’s use of acting and mise en scène heavily demonstrate the development of these characters as they unravel from quiet traditional lives to their ultimate demise. Moreover, these elements highlight the nuanced experience of being a woman while weaving in the conventional components of an action film. In the beginning of the film, Thelma’s behavior with her husband, Darryl, comes off as the stereotypical

After confronting the man that assaulted Thelma, Louise could have only used the gun as a visual scare factor to make the man back off. While she does this to begin with, the man’s consistent antagonizing resulted in her killing him. This action indicates the power and confidence Louise has within herself to not let another woman get hurt. Louise wastes no time and gets both her and Thelma on the road and devises a plan to go to Mexico. She is quick on her feet as she also finds herself responsible for making sure Thelma does not completely spiral and rat them out. Louise has a grasp on how the real world works as she has unfortunately gone through the same traumatic event as Thelma. Because of this, she understands how slim it is that Thelma will get the proper justice she deserves. Furthermore, Louise proves to be more level-headed as she is able to remain somewhat calm despite the problems Thelma causes by trusting JD. When he steals the money, this rightfully angers her, but she is able to keep moving forward as there is no time to wallow. Allowing themselves to get caught up in the obstacles they face instead of working around them would have resulted in their capture earlier on. As a result, Louise recognizes that they must keep moving forward without looking back in order to

In the beginning of the film, both Thelma and Louise are wearing clothes that are very casual and fit the expectation of what a woman would wear. This heavily contrasts with their looks at the end of the film in which we see both women with a much rougher look. From their sunburnt and dust covered skin to the cutoff shirts and jeans, it parallels how this journey of being on the run has dramatically changed them. It is the gradual transition to these outfits that emphasize how being wanted by the police has morphed them from the “everyday woman” to