MovieChat Forums > Hard Candy (2006) Discussion > Do female revenge films like these degra...

Do female revenge films like these degrade or empower women?

posted 11 years ago by emaxwell1313
28 replies | jump to latest

There is a lot of debate over these kinds of films and one topic is whether or not these films centered on revenge can be called empowering or feminist or if they encourage too much inappropriate responses to violence against women to be truly empowering.

Some people believe that a film that truly empowers women would have them deal with injustice, oppression and mistreatment simply by healing, moving on and living a fulfilling life. And that these films don't do anything at all for women because they still make it more about the *beep* who wronged them than about the victims.

Others point out that there is a fine line between vengeance and justice and what one calls vengeance another calls justice. And that deep down, even if we consider ourselves pacifists, nonviolent, feminists, social justice types, we all have a desire to extract this kind of vengeance on those who hurt us and it is purely natural to use these movies as a catharsis of sorts.

This debate has been going on for years, ever since the first I Spit On Your Grave movie came out in 1978. And it has resulted in interesting, to say the least, debates that sometimes end up as flame wars. The original I Spit On Your Grave has been called both a feminist horror film of sorts and an anti feminist horror film of sorts too. I imagine that the same could be said for the 2010 remake.

Which side of the debate do you take?

[–] Flik-Off 11 years ago

Huh. Saw this posted on the 'Last house on left' boards too. I watched both today. My answer to you is, in this particular movie, Hard Candy, it degrades them. In Last House on the Left, however, it empowers them.

Leave Ben Affleck Alone!

[–] hppg 10 years ago

I'd say the opposite to the other guy. I'd think this one sounds better than "Last House on the Left" (which I will NOT watch).

I enjoyed this. Maybe because it's not physically violence and more psychological. I thought it made some interesting points about vigilantism etc.

Pure violence though? Eh, I don't like that in any movie, regardless of whether it's male or female. There very rarely seems to be a point to it.

I dunno...I enjoyed this, and there are a lot of films where I feel women are not portrayed fairly, but I haven't put too much thought into it.

[–] dalldorfw 10 years ago

"I'd think this one sounds better than "Last House on the Left" (which I will NOT watch)."

Too bad. LHOTL is actually a much better movie, granted that doesn't say much (or anything really), but I'd recommend giving it a watch and then deciding. If you want, you can skip both and just watch 'The Virgin Spring'.

[–] angryblackgirl666 10 years ago

Yes.

It's my house, and I live here.

[–] Levi-91 10 years ago

I can't speak for all women, but personally I think it degrades women. It shows us as irrational and violent! And as you have said there is a fine line between justice and vengeance.

[–] ForTheNonce 10 years ago

I have to disagree. If it shows women as irrational and violent by showing one 14 year old girl that way (but for good reason,) how does it show men, considering what Jeff is?

[–] Levi-91 10 years ago

I was speaking about all revenge films that feature women, but to be fair men are often shown in quite a bad light, but they are just films to be fair and people aren't like characters in films.

[–] RynoII 8 years ago

I think it really depends on the movie, by a case by case basis, and there is no yes or no answer to this in general. Personally I think that this movie particularly is more empowering to women if I had to pick, where as a movie like Death Proof, is definitely more degrading.

[–] Corran007 10 years ago

So like 90% of movies are degrading to man since they are violent?

[–] celluloidkiwi 10 years ago

IMO:Degrading at least, misguiding at most. This film certainly portrays women as irrationally spiteful, seeking justice beyond the scope of self and embracing misandry to an abject effect. Lose-lose, burn it down, everybody hurts. As a thriller, fun and immersive; as a social commentary, detrimental and political. The whole vengeance on men genre insults women because any male character performing identical acts is immediately KNOWN as a psycho, whereas a women is perceived in this genre as "justified". Do we really need to open these doors? Realistically, liking this genre is akin to encouraging the person whose friends have been brutally slashed to bits to walk into the basement. If anything, sinking to the level of the purported enemy. I get it, but that's as far as it goes. As film-making goes, it's garbage. As tickets sales and political gold, it sells minimally. Only angry, hurt people and violence addicts (redundant?) enjoy it.

[–] VBeretta 8 years ago

I would not confuse a character with a whole gender. Hayley could simply have called the police after neutralizing Jeff and proving that he was guilty. Instead she forces him to commit suicide.

Hayley is as sick as Jeff. Once the movie was over, I actually wondered if her crusade against paedophiles wasn't also an excuse to torture people and bring them to their deaths. Nothing tells us that she will stop with Aaron and Jeff.

[–] RynoII 8 years ago

I would not confuse a character with a whole gender. Hayley could simply have called the police after neutralizing Jeff and proving that he was guilty. Instead she forces him to commit suicide.

Hayley is as sick as Jeff. Once the movie was over, I actually wondered if her crusade against paedophiles wasn't also an excuse to torture people and bring them to their deaths. Nothing tells us that she will stop with Aaron and Jeff.

Actually unless Hailey was willing to testify, there would be a lot of legal issues in prosecuting Jeff, such as how some anonymous source left the evidence. The court does not rely on anonymous sources like that and Jeff could have said he was framed, and the court would not have enough proof to suggest otherwise. It would be a he said, she said, situation, and the court cannot trust some mysterious kidnapper, who disappeared and is not willing to verify anything.

[–] greasykid1 10 years ago

To say that this movie portrays women as irrational and vengeful is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. Apart from the coffee shop scene where she's just chatting and flirting with Jeff, the Hayley Stark character is in NO WAY portrayed as an example of a "normal" woman.

I use the word "normal" in the absence of a better term ... :)

I wouldn't assume that other women would act the way that Hayley does any more than I'd assume that Jeff is an example of a normal man.

[–] StanTheWarrior 10 years ago

Why... is this suddenly about gender? Just because it involves a girl and a guy? This isn't about gender, it's about pedophilia. Pedophilia doesn't just apply to one gender.

"Everybody's a jerk. You, me, this jerk. That's my philosophy" -Bender

[–] therefdotcom 10 years ago

with this film? neither. not in the way that you portrayed it.

this is no exploitation film. also, there is no film i know of, that is similar to this one, so the phrase "this kind of films" does not apply.

either way, it is a film. so it can not "empower" anyone.

as for the basic question of revenge, it depends. with minor crimes, i think one should just get over it. as with child molestation, rape and murder i doubt that this would be possible. if someone murders your wife (or worse), then yes i am on your side if you shoot or stab anyone involved in it, as long as there is not the chance of someone innocent getting harmed. it would not justify torture in my eyes though. now you might say, that then the avenger is on the same level as the original predator, which is used a lot of times as a counter argument, but has one fatal flaw: the motivation. me, e.g. avenging my family is a completely different motivation as someone enjoying to see them suffer.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh