Thelma and Louise Blog Neva Lilla

From the beginning of this movie, you can tell freedom of Louise, and the trapped, domestic obligated personality of Thelma, already saying she needed to ask permission from her husband.  They are very put together, beautiful and responsible.  Very quickly we begin to see how tightly wound Thelma is and how much she wants to get out and break loose from her daily routine.  The roles quickly reverse when Louise is more reserved at the bar then Thelma is, symbolized with all the women’s hair; Louise’s hair is the up style at the bar. The following scene is also where you see the strength of the women, and how quickly life can change. 

One mise en scene (I think) though it is a little short but when Louise calls her boyfriend for the first time in the hotel, it pans from the pool, up to the deck, then you see Susan Sarandon walk in front of the camera and talk on the phone till it cuts to Thelma walking to the pool.  Another mise en scene is reminiscent of North by Northwest, the scene opens with the beautiful landscape, then they are driving down the road, then you see the crop plane spraying the crops and flying up again.  Also not fully sure if that is considered mise en scene since it is also not very long. 

I love how this movie is immersed in feminism strength, yet it not at all in your face, very subtle shows the smart strength of women.  Watching this movie a while ago for the first time, I didn’t even think about how it was written, or what the overall underlying concepts were.  Watching the movie again I am highly tuned into the fact that this movie was groundbreaking for its time with two strong independent women leads making their own decisions and figuring out what they need to do on their own. They even stand up to a cop and in doing that they build up even more confidence in who they are.  The ending especially put into perspective how poignant this movie is, they are free, alive and exhilarated to be together through this experience.

    “I don't remember ever feeling' this awake.  Everything looks different.  You know what mean.  I know you know what I mean everything looks new.  Do you feel like that?  Like you've got something to look forward to?”~Thelma

I love that quote, really places the movie into perspective.

  The other thing I realized is how they make men look in this film, and how realistic some of their characters are, for example the truck driver they encountered a few times, and to me he is someone who can be found anywhere even today. 

One of my favorite scenes is the night scene with the close ups on both women’s faces, and you see that they are at peace with their circumstances, with the sunrise beautifully coming up through the clouds.  I also love the wide open nature shots, with the beautiful flat prairie scenes.  Another great yet simple shot is when Thelma is looking at the scenery through the side mirror.  Watching the passing rocks, desert and dust. 

For me this movie is about friends, love, loyalty and faith.  Faith in oneself, faith that you can handle anything that happens to you, faith that your best friend will be there with/for you.  This movie shows how strong and confidant and powerful women can be.