Easy A

Feminist film theory

Introduction

Women are supposed to cook and serve her husband at the home. There are the close-minded for the woman. Started in the 1920s, looking at women’s expression of her own subjectivity. Feminist film theory matured in the late 1960s, after the radicalized feminist movement (of sexual liberation and political debate of female representation). Feminism is a set of political practice seen through the analysis of the social/historical position of women as subordinated, oppressed or exploited in dominant modes of production (such as capitalism) and/or by social relations of patriarchy or male domination. There is a film can represent the feminist film theory which called 'Easy A', director by Will Gluck in 2010.

Synopsis

High school student Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) finds herself the victim of her school's "rumor mill" when she lies to her best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) about a weekend tryst with a fictional college freshman. Word quickly spreads of Olive's promiscuity and, much to her surprise, she welcomes the attention. When she agrees to help out a bullied friend by pretending to sleep with him, her image rapidly degrades to a more lascivious state and her world begins to spin out of control. As she helps more and more of her classmates and her lies continue to escalate, Olive must find a way to save face before the school's religious fanatic Marianne (Amanda Bynes) gets her expelled and she loses a shot at attaining her own happiness.

Discussion

The Gaze

Mulvey introduced cinema as a medium of voyeurism where visual pleasure is derived with the

perspectives of looking.

3 perspectives of looking

a) Male character looking at the female character in the film.

b) Audience in cinema looking at the female character in the film.

c) Audience in cinema looking through the eyes of the male character who is looking at the female character.

These three perspectives of looking will show in this film. For the example, the whole school students included the cinema audience look to Olive when they know that Olive lose her virginity. The female character in ‘Easy A’ has their personality themselves. Let’s discuss about it.

Olive

Olive is a main character in this film. She is a brave and has strong mental female unlike with other female character. She don’t care any gossip and rumor about her. She doesn’t complain anything to her family and she want her family no need worry about her instead. 

Besides that, she also a kind and helpful people. She cannot ignore the people that need help even they make the crazy request from her. For the example, she help Brandon, a guy who gets bully from people around because of his homosexuality. She help Brandon to act relationship to make the people believe Brandon is a ‘straight’ man. Started with Brandon, there are many man request help with Olive to proof that they are a ‘real’ man. She’s intelligent and brazen, always speaking her mind and refusing to be bullied by those who try to slut-shame her. Despite her snarky attitude, Olive is a caring person with good intentions.

Marianne

She is a judgemental and close-minded person. She believe to the Jesus. She think that the girl cannot has a sexual relationship so that she spread the gossip about Olive after she heard Olive has lost her virginity to a college guy. Besides that, this character also flaky. She want to become friend with Olive because of a few words; she say she forgive her, I feel very weird at here. In additional, the point that I feel weird is she believe to God but her action contravention her belief. For the example, Marianna did not help or forgive Olive while she heard about Olive’s behaviour (lost her virginity). She spread out the rumour and look down Olive. How she treated on Olive all had counter the content in bible.

Rhiannon

She is best friend of Olive. In my comment, she is a dumb blonde. This is because she doesn’t believe her friend but believe the words of another people and break off the relationships with Olive. Besides that, she also protest with other to drive Olive out of the school.

Mrs. Griffith

It is revealed that she is having an affair with Marianne's boyfriend, Micah, and she has given him chlamidya. She throws a fit, which Olive is privy to, and Olive doesn't want Mrs. Griffith to lose her job. Because Olive has been so "out there", Micah said that Olive had given the STD to him. Olive tells Mrs. Griffith to call Micah and tell him that she confessed to giving him the STD, so as Mrs. Griffith can keep her job.

Towards the end, Olive begs Mrs. Griffith to tell everyone the truth with her, but Mrs. Griffith refuses to do so. Then she asks Olive that, if they were to play the "Who Would You Believe" game, then she would automatically win. Olive then runs to tell Mr. Griffith the truth, and it is probable that she and Mr. Griffith will get a divorce.

Mrs. Penderghast

She is very easy-going and likable, and is very loving towards Dill, Olive, and Chip. Although she's a very nice person, she can be a little immature, so much so that she is slightly off when the moment is appropriate. She seems to like and respect pretty much anyone, and seemed to like Brandon, a friend of Olive's, almost at once.

She reveals to Olive that she dated a homosexual for a long time. She calls it, "'a long, long time'", whereupon Olive assumes that the aformentioned homosexual was none other than her father. Rosemary laughs it off, saying that her father is very heterosexual, but sometimes he is "'a little too straight'" and leaves the room at Olive's command so as we never really know what she's referring to.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the feminist is the issue that society must pay attention. The rights of female are threatened even now.

References

Charactour. (2018). Retrieved from Olive Penderghast: https://www.charactour.com/hub/characters/view/Olive-Penderghast.Easy-A

FANDOM. (n.d.). Retrieved from EASY A WIKI: http://easya.wikia.com/wiki/Easy_A_Wiki

Twins, T. M. (n.d.). IMDb. Retrieved from Easy A Plot: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1282140/plotsummary