MovieChat Forums > Dust Devil (1993) Discussion > Unlikeable Lead Character

Unlikeable Lead Character

posted 17 years ago by Devans00
23 replies | jump to latest

I hate when a movie has a very unlikeable lead character. Not only do they get on your nerves, but they are on screen a lot, so you have to keep putting up with their annoyingness.

Wendy Robinson, played by Chelsea Field, was a very self centered, egotistical, numb nuts "heroine". I was begging for something bad to happen to her, but she kept sliding out of danger. While more deserving people got killed and mutilated.

When we first meet her, she and her husband are fighting because she's fooling around on him. Not exactly sympathetic. Later she get stuck in a ditch. A local man is kind enough to get her unstuck from the sand and the only thanks he gets is a face full of dirt as she peels off down the road with not even a thank you. By the way, the good Samaritan is finally paid for his efforts with a beating and torture from the local police.

Next, she not only picks up a weird hitchhiker, but sleeps with him. Um, isn't that what got her in trouble in the first place? Messing around with other men while married?

The only good thing is that she didn't have perfect glamour make-up on the whole time like they do in Hollywood movies.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

[–] Nephilim-6 17 years ago

Well thing is that the perfect hero doesn't exist. And it's usually the selfish that make it in this world. So in a sense the movie is realistic.

In a sense it's also destined that she becomes the demon in the end. She is like him.

Did you ever notice that people who believe in creationism look realy un-evolved? - Bill Hicks

[–] Devans00 17 years ago

Very true, Nephilim-6. In reality, the people with the biggest personalities and most focused self interest are the ones who rule.

When I watch a movie where I can't stand the person/character who's on the screen the most, it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I end up really disliking the actor who played the role and any other names attached to the production I can remember.

Next time I see Chelsea Field listed in the cast of a movie or see her come on screen, there's a very negative impression she has to overcome, or else I'll skip the production entirely. Not really fair, but I suppose it's human nature.

Looking at her IMDb listing, I see she hasn't worked too steadily since 2000, so it's probably not an issue going forward. Maybe she's fine with being Mrs. Scott Bakula or more likely, it's the Hollywood age bias kicking in.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

[–] jluis1984 17 years ago

I think thta she is not really the heroine, not even her husband (a fool weakling) is the hero. It's the cop who is set to the journey of self-discovery and forgiveness first, and then to fulfill his mission.

But yeah, Wendy was unlikeable, and in a sense, I was kind of glad she became the Dust Devil's new incarnation, as apparently it's not fun being the Devil.

"jluis1984 works in mysterious ways"

[–] Xex-Arachnid 17 years ago

Devan my dude, I understand what you mean but the thing you have to look at is this is S. Afrika and though I had never been there, as I understand it to be, it's a very racist place. Going 16 years back, no doubt it was probably much worse. So if she pulled off from the big black guy, it's probably because she's racist and or she was scared about being alone in the hot dessert with a big man with a shovel who probably wanted to recieve payment so in the sense of reality for that place, I think that it's pretty accurate. Messed up, but accurate.
As for the general dialogue with everybody else, I don't think there was anything wrong with it. I consider myself a gen. movie buff but not to the point of knowing what a "great diaglogue or acting" is suppose to be? In short, for 5 disc package with one of my favorite underground movies, It's a great FACKING buy:)

[–] Devans00 17 years ago

I understand what you are saying about the woman possibly being nervous in her situation with a stranger, redrabbitbone. But logic would tell anyone with half a brain that if he was going to do anything to her, it would have been when she was vulnerable, like at the camper or before he got her unstuck. She didn't act nervous or afraid the whole time they were together alone out in the desert. Bossy was more like it. Scared people usually aren't bossy.

I chalk her behavior up on selfishness and stupidity. Even if there was a touch of racism in there, that doesn't cancel the narcissistic, self-centeredness of peeling out without so much as a "good afternoon".

Why shouldn't the local guy expect or want a tip. He did quite a bit of back breaking, dirty work in the hot sun. It's not like he was some suburban slacker teen, hanging out at the mall with his friends with his hand out for a few dollars, for no particular reason.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

[–] johnrhand-1 17 years ago

Richard Stanley said that it was a little commentary on South African racism, that this woman is deathly afraid of this poor black guy who just wants to help her out but eagerly picks up the white, shape-shifting serial killer hitchiker just a few miles down the road.

[–] Devans00 17 years ago

Thanks for the explanation, johnrhand-1. I had missed that point while watching the movie and listening to the commentary.

The scenes make a little more sense when viewed from that point of view.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

[–] neon_suntan 17 years ago

All of the characters in Dust Devil are heavily flawed and damaged.

The Police Chief seems to be a genuinely good man, but he has had to swallow that and take early retirement because he is one of the 'old guard' of a former regime and he isn't wanted. So in a sense he is running away from his life and duty.

While the projectionist is attuned to the spiritual situation in the movie he is utterly at it's mercy and at times he appears to be more of an agent of chaos than an ally to Zakes Mokae, esp ecially his insistence to Mokae that he is only dreaming when he is 'awake'.

Wendy and her husband represent White South Africa, her husabnd was a policemen and she was an activist, he tells Mokae that they met at a Peace Rally. He seems to repect Mokae as a policeman but Wendy who represents the liberal white aspect of SA is still terrified of the large black guy who digs her out of the trench.

Mokae's son was a soldier and died in the warand it is suggested that his wife committed suicide and blamed him for his sons desire to join the army and therefore his death.

The pathologist played by Marianne Sagebrecht seems to be aware of all the local traditions and beliefs but has a closed mind as to the spiritual aspect of the murders even though the evidence is right in front of her.

Interestingly it is also implied that the Dust Devil is bisexual, presuming that he only kills his victims at the moment of orgasm, then the victim before he meets Wendy was male...

[–] Devans00 17 years ago

by rich-pickup
Interestingly it is also implied that the Dust Devil is bisexual, presuming that he only kills his victims at the moment of orgasm, then the victim before he meets Wendy was male...

Interesting you bring this up. I recently watched Ninth Gate. On the discussion boards for that movie, they bring up sexual magic. Part of the thinking is the moment when witches or followers of satan are closest to him is when they orgasm.

Fitting for this movie, too.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

[–] neon_suntan 17 years ago

There is a theory that the fabled Philosophers Stone was in fact an oblique reference to the act of sex... and those who in effect cast spells or attempted to work magic would have the greatest effect at the act of orgasm.

The images of witches as evil sexual beings is partly a result of lies and helf-truth spread by a Church desperate to stamp out any possible rival religon or religious pracice - it's also a refernce to earlier fertility practices and Earth Mother style pre-christian paganism.

But to get back to Dust Devil... :-)

His sexual murder and subsequent ritual is his only manner of maintaining his strength... it seems to act as a sort of magical re-charge.

So as I see it, to stay magical and powerful he needs regular acts of atrocity. I wonder what would happen if he was unable to to do this would he cease to be the Dust Devil? Would he become unstable and disappear?

It's still not clear to me how he transfers his soul/consciousness/whatever to Wendy or what the army convoy symbolizes...

[–] Incredible_Brightness 17 years ago

I like Wendy A LOT. One of the reasons I like her is that she reminds me of myself and a lot of real people I've met. Because she ISN'T the same person you always see in these movies. I'm just glad she doesn't "learn" anything. I can't stand movies where people must journey to "learn" something. She doesn't change much as a person either. That makes her about as real as she could be in a movie like this. That's all that's important.

"Carol, one word of advice: send Cindy to a special school"

[–] chriscoates 17 years ago

Devans00 said;"Wendy Robinson...I was begging for something bad to happen to her...When we first meet her, she and her husband are fighting because she's fooling around on him. Not exactly sympathetic".

I think your interpretation of the situation says more about you than it does about her.
Did you not ask yourself why she might have been unhappy? Could it not have been, at least partly, his fault?

____________________________________
"...needless to say, I had the last laugh."

[–] Devans00 17 years ago

Throughout the movie, Wendy showed herself to be a very strong minded, self-centered and aggressive person. It's very hard for me to buy the "poor little Wendy. her husband made her soooooooo unhappy" story. If she considered anyone's feelings other than her own, she would make a formal break with her husband and go on her merry way. Instead, she kept him hanging on, thinking they still had a chance to be a successful couple. All while she's out messing around, with no intention of ever giving her husband a chance..

If my opinion says something is bad or lacking about my character, then I can live with that.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

[–] chriscoates 17 years ago

You've made your mind up and there won't be any swaying you. As for the character being "self-centered and aggressive" it doesn't seem to be a commonly held view and it's not something I agree with. In the context of the film she's clearly the good guy and although the details of the break-up aren't explained we're clearly meant to see her as good.
Also, as has been explained by another poster, the characters are meant to be representative of wider themes. Wendy represents the new white liberal idealism, her husband is old white Africa, Zakes Mokae's character ...well, that's pretty obvious.
It's not a film to be read entirely literally.

"All while she's out messing around, with no intention of ever giving her husband a chance.. "

She could have given him many chances. Maybe he'd been screwing around. You seem to be seeing all kinds of bad traits in her character without having evidence for them but you're not doing the same with him, which is interesting.

Have you, perhaps, recently been divorced?

____________________________________
"...needless to say, I had the last laugh."

[–] onlyforboards 15 years ago

I have noticed this a lot lately on IMDB unless female characters are perfect cookie cutter women they are hated.
Films should have complex characters, they used to all the time!

As for her cheating on her husband do we even know what is happening in their relationship other than her husband physically assaults her, we certainly don't know she has cheated on him.

You don't seem to be reading her character very well, the things you think are unacceptable in her character are telling you things about much more than Wendy herself, like the scene where she is helped by a black guy, as someone has already explained to you.

[–] Devans00 15 years ago

When it comes to art, there are no absolutes. Everyone's point of view is their opinion, not an unconditional truth.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] onlyforboards 15 years ago

Sure is, your first post didn't read like you believed that though.

[–] the_zookeeper 15 years ago

If that was my husband, I'd have left him, too. How cloying can you be? He struck me as the type of guy who'd need a serious restraint order had she just moved across town.

I, too, had the thought while reading this thread "someone doesn't like driven women", and I, too, have seen women in movies picked on for not being wallflowers or chaste. What bugs someone about a movie character can say alot about the viewer him/herself.

The gene pool could use a little chlorine......

[–] ELashes 11 years ago

I am a woman and a feminist. Wendy is an unlikeable character to me too. I find her to be stupid, wishy-washy, self-centered, and unappealing. Now go ahead and say that I too am threatened by a driven woman. She's just not likeable to some people. It's almost as if different people have different opinions about characters in films.

[–] MarshallStax 11 years ago

I found Wendy to be a fairly realistic character with flaws. Clearly, she was no longer in love with her husband and had lost the will to live. She was wandering off with no direction or purpose. Yes, she was self-centered and ungrateful. Her husband was no prize, either; while his determination to find her was supposed to be admirable, one has to question his motives; why did he so desperately want to find Wendy and bring her back home?

Anyway, we saw what Wendy earned for herself in the end.

And yes, as other posters have stated, it was Sgt. Mukurob who was on the real journey here, to finally find some meaning to his own life and get over the guilt of his son's and wife's deaths. While his death was in vain with regards to stopping the Dust Devil, it brought meaning and closure to his life, particularly in the workprint version I just watched, where he sees a vision of his wife and son as he passes away.

Just want to say this is one of my favorite horror films ever, right up there with "The Shining" and "Alien" - atmosphere trumps gore for me every time.

All Art is pretense.

[–] EdgarST 11 years ago

I agree with ELashes. At least, it does not help her description that she picks up a thing for the second time, after it has previously disappeared from her car while she is driving fast. At least dumb she is.