As we discussed Nikita in class, I noticed that we focused a lot on how some people were disappointed in Nikita. One of the possibilities that we decided could have been the reason for this was that Nikita showed a lot of (sad) emotion, which made her appear weak. We also said that it is only women who show emotion in movies—however, in 300, one of the most important scenes is when one of the warriors sees his son killed in battle. His strong, emotionless, and fierce shell breaks down and he bursts into tears while falling to the ground. I thought this was important because in this scene we view the soldier as passionate and we sympathize with him, while in Nikita some felt disappointed in her breaking down and showing her emotion. Do you think that the difference in opinions could be because one is a man and the other a woman? Or do you think that sad emotions portrayed are viewed differently because they occur in different circumstances? I personally feel that this discrepancy is because of peoples’ views on gender.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7prLRz0ovZ8 (this scene shows him fighting soldiers, gets cut off before crying scene, sorry!)
I think that if Nikita was a male character then many people would feel differently about how she ended things. Audiences love sensitive guys and strong women because it seems to go against stereotypical gender roles.
ReplyDeleteI don't like that men can be emotional and strong but women are weak when they are emotional. I have seen many of the strongest people in my life, both men and women, get emotional. I don't think having emotions should connect to the strength of a person's character because really, sometimes it's necessary to be.
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