MovieChat Forums > Black Snake Moan (2007) Discussion > Is this film sexist?

Is this film sexist?

posted 14 years ago by oh_someday
65 replies | jump to latest

I honestly think it's hard to say.

Obviously there's something twisted about chaining a half naked woman up. I know that Lazarus had the best intentions in mind. I understand that he was trying to cure her of her addiction, but at the same time I felt that if this were a man with the same problem this whole situation would not have happened due to a blatantly obvious sexual double standard in our society. That and most people probably don't want to see Samuel L. Jackson or even a woman chain up a half-naked young man for his sex addiction. Probably just wouldn't go over well unless it was a comedy or a porno or both. Boys WILL be boys, after-all.

On that note, the men who sleep with her are essentially taking advantage of her mental and emotional problems, but of course you don't see them being chained to radiator because you know... they're men. I also felt like the whole time she was chained up Ricci was being sexualized which is a little distasteful considering the subject matter. Another thing that bothered me was how she wore a chain as part of her wedding dress which basically implied that she was exchanging one form of bondage for another. One man to hold her down for another.

At the same time however this film most definitely humanizes a character that is otherwise seen as inhuman, i.e. the 'town whore'. Probably can't be regarded as feminist, but this is still a nice change from the norm nonetheless.

[–] la_cinematheque 11 years ago

Yes, this film is sexist. It's about a man exerting power over a woman's sexuality. Sure, she wasn't using sex in a healthy way, but the Laz character's actions were disgusting, inhumane, and fully based on a patriarchal idea of what womanhood should be (sexual purity and fidelity). Also, Laz's actions weren't even based on him knowing about her history of abuse, drug use, and use of sex as a coping mechanism; he just heard that she liked to have sex and took it upon himself to "cure" her of that.

I have no idea how a movie with this crazy message got made in the 21st century. The worst part was the ending where Ricci's character is still suffering from her ptsd, but puts her own troubles aside to comfort her new husband. That's her happy ending? Never getting a resolution to her own problems, and having to be a caretaker for someone else? This is literally the most backward movie I've ever seen.

[–] SteveH2002 11 years ago

Yes, this film is sexist. It's about a man exerting power over a woman's sexuality. Sure, she wasn't using sex in a healthy way, but the Laz character's actions were disgusting, inhumane, and fully based on a patriarchal idea of what womanhood should be (sexual purity and fidelity). Also, Laz's actions weren't even based on him knowing about her history of abuse, drug use, and use of sex as a coping mechanism; he just heard that she liked to have sex and took it upon himself to "cure" her of that.

Agreed. Laz was wrong, especially for the reasons you state.

Society does have a vested in Rae's sexuality, tho. Promiscuity leads to unplanned pregnancies, and to the extent that we - society - are responsible for Rae's potential child we have a stake in her behavior. Women have to be more responsible, in general, because there are consequences for their choices that don't exist for men.

[–] fuzzykids 11 years ago

This movie could be considered sexist. However I believe all the characters in it had severe emotional pains and were in some way victims. How they reacted to their own pain and to each other may of not been the socially or politically correct way. Watching this movie, from my perspective, did not encourage anyone to chain another human up, that would not be the proper way to help a pained soul. It was a movie about three messed up folks, Jacksons, Riccis and to a lesser degree Timberlakes. They helped each other become more whole. I would not say any one of them was cured of their pains, but they were able to see the light and the end of the tunnel.

If this movie was supposed to be viewed as a how-to, then I would be offended. I don't believe that was the intent. I watch movies where there are characters that I may not agree with their actions yet still sympathize with them. That I usually attributed to a well done story or a talented actor/actress. Generally speaking I do not sympathize with someone who cheats on their loved one, whether they are male or female does not matter. But in this case I do feel for Ricci's character and can forgive her actions to an extent. I do not agree with chaining people up, even for their own good, however in this case I still sympathize with Jackson.

Anyways just my two cents.

[–] oewnaynailf 11 years ago

I completely agree, OP. You said it perfectly.

[–] Diss 10 years ago

The chains were just weird, and made it a weird film for me. The part that bothered me is he didn't put some clothes on her after the first day. Even some of his clothes. I didn't like her hanging around the house in underwear and whatever that top was. I felt like it was exploitive.

[–] remembervhs 9 years ago

It's hard to know what "sexism" even means these days.

I saw the film as being about the establishment of a father-daughter bond between the two leads. I don't think that the director has any kind of sexist message about women needing men to teach them how to behave or any kind of negative message about women at all. I think sometimes movies can be about the characters in them rather than the groups to which those characters belong.

The subject matter is controversial because a person is illegally kept prisoner against her will and the movie shows this as a positive thing in the end.

[–] bladesman2 9 years ago

I think the part that people find sexist is a simplistic reduction of the plot to a story in which a woman in trouble is "fixed" by a man forcing her to be more chaste.

From that perspective, I think it is rather sexist; that it takes a man to control her unruly, overtly sexual behaviour that keeps getting her in trouble.

But most things can be made to look poor when reduced to such simplistic terms. And I don't think it's entirely fair to frame a somewhat complex relationship quite so bluntly.

The film is not only about Rae being restrained, it's also about her freeing Lazarus.

It's been a long time since I watched the movie, but the reason he has to keep her hidden is not simply for her own good, but also because of his fear of society and world outside. A black man can't be found with an injured young white girl. He himself behaves in the ways he does because of the rejection of the community.

Rae is worthless without restraint, Lazarus is crippled without freedom. It's through their interactions that both can overcome their problems. Lazarus is finally able to fully embrace his music, an ultimate baring of himself. Rae is able to leave her past and commit to another person.

Their gender can be seen as irrelevant in this regard. It's not about them being man and woman, it's about being able to properly engage with meaningful beauty.

So I see how it's sexist at face value, and it embraces some stereotypes that are distasteful, but I don't think the story ought to be dismissed so easily. Human relationships are much more complex than that. And, even if the movie is sexist, it doesn't deprive it of having a deeper insight into the human condition.

[–] eoval 9 years ago

Yes, everything is.

"I do not like mixing up moralities and mathematics."
Churchill

[–] tub51461 9 years ago

Originally, in the first day or so, Laz chained the girl up potentially, so she would allow reality to kick in so in her world she can do what she want and not concern herself with the consequences.

I didn't see Ricci being sexualized. The chain didn't make her sexualized, just her clothes. She lived recklessly and having been on the opposite side of this Lazarus saw her as the person who he could save from a broken marriage.

Regarding the chain, it's not bondage. Bondage is meant for one person to control another by dominating. Consider this more a vice (a substitute) for overcoming reckless desires. Often, a hypnotherapist will create a vice to subconsciously mask someone's emotional problems using a slightly different sometimes unusual method. It's a temporary solution, but it does work until the person gets serious help later.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tyrexden 8 years ago

I couldn't get past the first 30 minutes.... i found it offensive to EVERYone.

women, blacks, southern whites, ...everyone.... it was like a conglomeration of stereotypes and cliche's, which maybe would be acceptable in a like a parody type of movie, but thats not what they were going for here. We were supposed to take these qualities at face value.... Like these were real people instead of cartoons.

Listen... white people are allowed to admire and respect black culture... but the writer/director here, he's not doing that... He's pilfering and exploiting it for his own personal gain, and whats more.... he's culling it out of the stereotypes... the perceptions of what an ignorant white boy might THINK that culture is about...

There's nothing redeemable here. And the plot and the story nor anything else is good enough to make someone look past the flaws.

I'll give the film another go, because i've changed my mind before, but geez, this was a tough watch.

Hustle & Flow had many of the same problems, but it had a lot of redeemable parts.