Independent Case Study: Representation of women in contempory Thrillers - UPDATED

Throughout history, women have been unequal in terms of society, and therefore within film. However in recent times, female representation in British, Hollywood and World Cinema Thrillers, has become increasingly diverse, and women have progressively been used as powerful and determined heroins or villains, as an alternative to the classic damsel in distress.

An example that shows this is Lucy (2014), an Action Thriller that features a fretful woman who under fortuitous circumstances, is exposed to drugs that reconstructs her to be able to use 100% of her brain capacity instead of the expected 10% use of an average human. In consequence, this gives Lucy a character arc, as she progressively has the capacity for abilities such as telekinesis, the ability to control electrical systems, hyper senses and fighting skills. Through this, the audience see Lucy become more powerful as a protagonist, defeating the antagonists with these skills, and showing strength and supremacy in comparison to the male characters around her. Because of this, she is a notable female heroin, as she shows independence and tenacity as an individual, and is just one of the changes in female representation within cinema.

Examples within the film that show this representation lie with aspects such as camerawork, lighting and costume.


Within this escape scene, the camera is positioned at a low angle, and the audience look up at the character, while she looks determinedly ahead. 
This creates an image of a threatening power coming from her character, suggesting strength and dominance. The lighting within this scene could also be considered as important. The low key lighting with a blue tone suggests a single non-digetic light source. It illuminates her character slightly, the blueish tone adding a clinical and unfamiliar tone, making this scene appear other worldly, adding an abnormal and eerie atmosphere to the scene and her character, perhaps because of the unexpected body changes she is going through within this scene that give her her power.

Furthermore, in this fight scene, the female protagonist walks away from the damage made, the camera tracking her as she walks - showing she is important. The camera is also positioned at a slight low angle, continually making the character seem powerful and defiant.

A notable change within these scenes, as the character grows with strength and power, is the use of costume. In the escape scene, her character is pictured a white plain t-shirt, which perhaps suggests an idea of normalcy, showing that she is an average woman. White also has connotations of purity and innocence, further suggesting that she is a normal woman who has done no wrong as of yet. However further on, shown in the fight scene, she is pictured in a black dress. Black often has connotations of darkness and corruption perhaps suggesting that after growing in strength, she has become more powerful, perhaps grown signs of wickedness and evil as her strength overcomes her.



Another example of strong female protagonists in Hollywood Thrillers is Katniss Everdeen (Jeniffer Lawrence) in The Hunger Games (2012), and Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) in Divergent (2014). Both are fictions set in a dystopian setting, presenting the idea of a changed society. These characters are prime examples of strong independent women who fight against a defective authority, eventually overcoming the dark force of a rising dominion.

An example that show the strong female representation of the character Katniss Everdeen is this scene in the last of the trilogy, in which the protagonist is shown walking, members of her community behind her. The camerawork in this scene stands at a low angle, like Lucy, creating a sense of power. In this shot Katniss is in the centre of the screen, made the focus of the scene. This shows the importance that her character has. In this scene the camera moves backwards, tracking her character as she walks with people behind her. The effect of the people behind her moving from the side to the centre adds a sense of support and loyalty to her character as they all move to stand with her.

Furthermore, in this shot after the protagonist draws an arrow, an eye-level shot is used. This could be to show equality, perhaps presenting her as an equal to those behind her and the audience. This eye-level shot could also be used to make the audience sympathise with her character as she makes a decision, further enforcing the idea to make her appear as an equal. 


Costume is also an important aspect of her character. Through the last films she is often pictured wearing a black combat outfit, perhaps representing her strength and fury. Black often has connotations of darkness, and like Lucy, is also perhaps used to show an evil that comes with strength. 

It contrasts to her costume in the first film, in which she wears a practical grey jacket. This change to a darker and stronger use of costume could show the development of her character as she grows in power.








In contrast, Hollywood Thrillers with a superhero theme often use the idea of a classic damsel in distress, a female target for the antagonist, and someone that the male protagonist can save, proving their worth. Examples of films of this theme are Superman (1978), Spiderman (2002) and The Hulk (2003). 

These female heroins also contrast with many female characters found in film from the

1940s-1970s. Thrillers, especially film noir, would often only have a male protagonist. Films with female protagonists such as Phantom Lady (1944), Black Angel (1946), and Woman on the Run (1950), include female detectives who offer a progressive image of femininity and are ultimately proved incompetent as detectives. Furthermore, Mildred Pierce (1945), starring Joan Crawford, shows Mildred punished for being an independent and strong woman, treated with contempt, and eventually betrayed by her own daughter.



Female representation from the 1940's has reflected on society, females often portrayed as incompetent or weak without a man to guide them. However within recent cinema, protagonists are beginning to be presented as independent females, showing a developing society.