The Loneliest Planet - Essay Example

? The Loneliest Planet Hollywood has received unending criticism for its unbalanced representation of gender in movies. The film world represents the ideologies that exist in society. For a long time, society has often adopted a patriarchal attitude, an aspect that becomes evident in Hollywood movies. The patriarchal attitude occurs subconsciously and determines the meanings that society attaches to Hollywood movies. Mulvey described the patriarchal framework that is evident in Hollywood movies. This paper will begin by highlighting the framework described by Mulvey and discuss the how that framework exhibits itself in the movie ‘the loneliest planet’. Mulvey’s Ideas on Hollywood’s Depiction of Gender According to Mulvey, males prove to be very dominant in society. This dominance has existed for the longest time in society, with many people adopting the attitudes that concur with and foster the spread of male dominance (Hein 58). In her article ‘visual pleasure and narrative cinema’ Mulvey highlighted that the popularity of Hollywood movies has resulted because of the existing social patterns. These existing social patterns serve as a reflection of the male dominance that is evident in society. With the combination of two analytic procedures, this article highlights the reflection of unbalanced gender in Hollywood, and outlines how the viewer reacts to the movie (Hollinger 12). A semiotic analytic method of cinematic works helped Mulvey understand the depiction of patriarchy in Hollywood products. On the other hand, psychoanalysis revealed the perception of the viewer as determined by the existing social patterns (45). The article outlined a link between the viewer and the Hollywood products, with psychoanalysis helping the author to decipher the subconscious contribution to the understanding of the viewer. The most compelling idea that becomes evident in Mulvey’s article is the fact that Hollywood uses women to offer visual pleasure to the men. According to this author, Hollywood adopts a masculine view while making women an object of the gaze. Hollywood depicts men as heroes and this grants them measurable pleasure. The movies depict the undying desire of men to satisfy their ego even if that compels them to maker women object As a result, the man represents the active individual in the movie while the woman has her take as the passive individual. The man employs all his efforts in demystifying the female figure or fetishization of her by according her a goddess position. Through these strategies, the man manages to avoid any chances of the woman surpassing him and silencing his voice. On the other hand, the role of the woman in Hollywood movies appears paradoxical (Hollinger 13). She seems to confuse herself with the power of attraction and her inherent desire to get past the man, silencing him. ‘The Loneliest Planet’ Through this movie, she tells the story of a young optimistic couple, Alex and Nica. From the initial cuts of the movie, the couple has a level of intimacy as the producer highlights that they are sexually involved. However, it is evident that despite this intimacy, the couple takes time in understanding each other well. However, there is a level of comfort in the couple and after their engagement; they are looking forward to getting married. This optimistic couple decides to visit the mountains of Georgia and explore their beauty. The viewer can expect that the hike will bring the couple closer, at least a notch higher than what they appear to be (Nelmes 280). Since they are unfamiliar with the place, and there is an obvious language barrier, the couple decided to hire a guide, Gato. The movie depicts the strangeness of the place, and then exposes the possibilities of the adventure that the couple would experience. As expected, the adventure comes with multiple challenges for the couple. Loktev takes the initial half of the movie to illustrate how the couple managed to cope with the numerous challenges of the hike through the mountains. The movie does not focus on the use of words but contains many visual images that the viewer can depend on to understand the theme that she intended to deliver. A close evaluation of the interaction between the couple serves to portray that they had a close relationship (Hein 70). However, the introduction of Gato in the picture introduced an absurd triangle between the three of them. The viewer received a confirmation of the absurdity the second half of the movie. Loktev introduced a moment in the movie that altered the entire picture of the couple’s relationship. During this moment that served as a turning point for the couple, Alex acted in away that portrayed his other self, but left an indelible mark on the couple’s relationship. In the face of tragedy, Alex momentarily chose to put Nica in danger for his survival. When the couple met an armed man who threatened to shoot Alex, he chose to make Nica the target. The man she adored and expected protection from had just proved willing to sacrifice her for his personal safety. Alex’s action may have been accidental and a one moment’s conviction, but it portrayed the selfish nature that Alex harboured within himself. After the defining moment, the couple’s interaction changed. Immense discomfort replaced the preceding comfort that had existed between the couple. Although there was a limited conversation between the couple, silence reigned between them after the incident, creating a bridge. In the other half of the hike, both Alex and Nica experienced loneliness and remorse. For Alex, guilt governed him about his action (Hein 56). Although he must have experienced grief from deep within, it seemed too late to undo the damage he had caused. For Nica, she exhibited feelings of betrayal and withdrew to herself. The loneliness that engulfed each of them made the mountain ranges seem vast, and the journey appeared longer. Gato, the guide exhibited more concern for Nica that did Alex. Towards the end of the film, Gato’s story became the focus, with hints that Gato was acting to seduce Nica. Depiction of the Unbalanced Gender Loktev’s movie ‘the loneliest planet’ is one of Hollywood‘s products that exhibits the reality of Mulvey’s description of a patriarchal attitude in the society. From the start of the movie, a pattern of dependence becomes evident in the movie, when Nica has to wait for Alex to bring warm water to her rescue. From Alex’s delay, Nica appears desperately in need of Alex’s help. From this limelight, a viewer can expect the gaze to be Alex’s while Nica is the object that gives pleasure to him. From the onset of the trip, Alex keeps confirming that Nica is fine, and this confirms a level of dependence. It gives dominance to the man reflecting the values that society has accorded to men (Chaudhuri 35). Society holds onto the concept that men are responsible for taking care of women in society. However, this perception has received misinterpretation in society and introduced a misconception in society that women lack the capacity to handle things on their own. When Alex expresses such concern, Nica exhibits the paradoxical attitude described by Mulvey when she asserts that she needs no help even in situations when it was clear that she needed a level of assistance. During the defining moment of their love affair, it became evident that she was not just an object of pleasure for him, but she would also serve as a worthwhile sacrifice for him to win his safety. As Mulvey described, society exhibits male dominance with women serving as passive objects. At the critical moment, Alex only thought about the most important aspect of his life. Apparently, he made it clear that his survival and existence were his priorities. For Alex, Nica was of minimal significance. She was an object that he could selfishly use to foster his chances of survival. Subconsciously, he expressed the attitudes that men harbor in their hearts (Hein 78). The movie depicts how Alex employed the two strategies that Mulvey described in ensuring that he maintained his masculine ego. In the beginning of the play, he treated her like a goddess through the fetishization scheme. Men have developed strategies of adoring women to win their trust and ensure that a woman does not think of reducing his masculine ego through what Mulvey described as castration (Nelmes 281). Initially, Alex made Nica believe that he cared and could do anything for her sake. In a bid to adore her more, he expressed his concern about her situation. As Mulvey explains, in a society that adheres to patriarchal attitudes cannot help but express these attitudes subconsciously. Although this movie is the product of a woman’s creativity, it still highlights the fact that men dominate society. The story is more vivid from the masculine perspective. When situations compelled Alex, he relied on the additional strategy described by Mulvey that of dismantling her beliefs in order to survive. He managed to do this when he exposed her to the risk after he received a threat from an armed stranger. This served to dismantle her previous belief system that had given her the conviction that to Alex she was a goddess deserving protection. However, the reality emerged and she realized that he could sacrifice her for his survival. Moreover, Loktev depicts an additional aspect described by Mulvey in Hollywood movies. Mulvey highlighted that women were objects of visual focus from the men. In this movie, both Alex and Gato take considerable time to look at Nica. In the triangular relationship that exists between them, Nica is the center of attraction for both men. This introduces the active man passive woman aspect described by Mulvey. Even after the moment that altered things between the couple, the director brought in Gato’s story to replace the masculine dominance that had existed. At that critical moment when Nica experienced extreme loneliness, the guide became overly active in relating his story. Moreover, he appeared flirtatious and tried to win her attention confirming the common belief that women are objects subject to men’s viewing. On the other hand, Nica exhibited the paradoxical individuals who threaten to challenge the masculine opinion. On several occasions, she proved physically fit proving beyond doubt that she possessed stamina that could challenge a man (Chaudhuri 54). Adored with beauty and physical attraction, she found herself torn between choices. A clear illustration is the instance when she could not resist the flirtatious nature of Gato, the guide. She seemed confused on whether it was Alex she still wanted or she had the freedom to reconstruct her broken dreams with someone else. Conclusion As described, society has often adopted a patriarchal attitude, an aspect that becomes evident in Hollywood movies. The patriarchal attitude occurs subconsciously and determines the meanings that society attaches to Hollywood movies. Mulvey described the patriarchal framework that is evident in Hollywood movies. With the combination of two analytic procedures, this article highlights the reflection of unbalanced gender in Hollywood, and outlines how the viewer reacts to the movie. A semiotic analytic method of cinematic works helped Mulvey understand the depiction of patriarchy in Hollywood products. On the other hand, psychoanalysis revealed the perception of the viewer as determined by the existing social patterns. Through a thorough analysis of Loktev’s movie, the patriarchal ideologies that have persisted in society and expressed subconsciously become evident. On the other hand, the role of the woman in Hollywood movies appears paradoxical. She seems to confuse herself with the power of attraction and her inherent desire to get past the man, silencing him. Analysis of the movie ‘the loneliest planet’ confirms Mulvey’s ideas. Chaudhuri, Shohini. Feminist Film Theorists: Laura Mulvey, Kaja Silverman, Teresa de Lauretis, Barbara Creed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2003. Print. Hein, Carolina. Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008. Internet resource. Hollinger, Karen. Feminist Film Studies. London: Routledge, 2012. Print. Nelmes, Jill. An Introduction to Film Studies. London: Routledge, 2003. Print. Work Cited Read More