The new film, Is God Is, offers viewers the latest example of a complex category of the Lady Outlaw movie. Comprising a mix of genres from westerns about female gunslingers to road movies about female fugitives on the run, these films are often violent, darkly funny stories that draw complicated illustrations of female agency where being an outlaw is the only way to find freedom.
[imbd.com]I wonder if today’s audience remembers how controversial Thelma & Louise was when it was initially released back in 1991. Telling the story of two friends (Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis giving two captivating performances) whose weekend getaway turns into a flight from the law after they shoot a man in anger/self-defense. There’s a good reason why these two plucky females became ’90s icons. The two outlaws’ escape from the law becomes a story of female empowerment, sexual liberation, and, ultimately, tragedy. This isn’t just a fun road movie; it’s a feminist hijacking of a traditionally male genre (the Western). Thanks to screenwriter Callie Khouri and director Ridley Scott, the latter half of the movie plays a richly visualized remix of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, right down to the ending that ensures our two outlaws will become legends. ★★★½
[imbd.com]Critics called it “New French Extremity”; these were French films known for the extreme violence and graphic depictions of sexuality. One of the most memorable was Baise-Moi, an abrasive feminist re-imagining of Thelma & Louise, which integrates actual graphic sex with a road movie about two female fugitives on a crime spree against a society in which they feel marginalized. The film’s two directors, Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi, aren’t remotely interested in making a mainstream crowd-pleaser. Unlike most glossy Hollywood features, Baise-Moi places the audience uncomfortably close to the characters, making the violence and unstimulated sex feel visceral rather than stylized. Specifically, the film’s visuals are characterized by a harsh, grainy look, giving the movie a deliberately amateur, documentary feel. Running only 75 minutes and shot in a deliberately unflattering style, the film is not for the squeamish, but should be sought out by those interested in transgressive cinema. ★★★
[imbd.com]Love Lies Bleeding was something different. Mixing Neo Noir, the Erotic Thriller, and a touch of Body Horror, we follow the story of Lou (Kristen Stewart), a gym manager who falls for a female bodybuilder (an excellent Katy M. O’Brien) who unfortunately gets mixed up in a murder. Not only does filmmaker Rose Glass create a crafty thriller built around sweaty gyms and dark alleys, I like how she also takes a genre we’re familiar with and injects it with queer sensibility and a particular eye for female rage (references to Thelma & Louise and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman are greatly appreciated). Stylistic choices aside, this movie works because of the relationship between Stewart and O’Brien. Using some sequences that border on the surrealistic, the movie accentuates the passion these two feel for one another, so we understand exactly why this relationship would draw blood. Then there’s the ending, which contains a “Hulk out” moment that may frustrate some viewers but, for me, is exactly the type of wild, swing-for-the-fences filmmaking I wish more movies attempted. ★★★½
