Essay about the movie Thelma & Louise

When this Thelma & Louise is first released, it is treated by people as a cruel one which is full of murdering scenes, not as just a road movie. However, are there really too many shots of killing? Killing people, of course, is illegal and there must be someone who feel bad for that, however Thelma and Louise murder only twice in the film. The one is for Louise killing Harlan for right reason, and the another is for suicide. Again, is it so many? Moreover, the second killing (that is, their suicide) pictures how they change their personalities at last. In this film, the two actresses show the change in the characters’ position through several ways; movements of eyes, attitudes, and balances of power.

The proverb says that the eyes are eloquent as the tongue. This can be applied to this film when talking about how Thelma and Louise show their emotional growth. After the opening scene of call between them about planning of their trip, Thelma tries to open her idea about their girls’ journey to her husband with fearful forced smile on her face. Her face as a whole looks like a smile, however, when focusing on only her eyes, it never seems like she smiles. Her eyes are shrinking at this time, and they show she has a little confidence about anything, and getting wrong that she does something bad behind her husband. At the same scene, what does Louise have in her eyes? Her eyes inevitably show her confidence, and that she is not bothered by anything. These clearly opposite positions in their roles change as the story goes ahead. They meet one rude man riding in a tank truck, and they bomb it. For here, what can be seen from their eyes are clearly different from the opening; or, it can be paraphrased in that their showing by eyes are interchanged. That is, when they accuse an ill-mannered man for his impolite stares to them, Thelma has glazed eyes. Otherwise Louise has a little bit hesitation about doing something radical, but also has strong faith in antipathy against rude men. Focusing on small part of human body; eyes, the very things expressing one’s thought can be seen. Thus, it is possible to say that messages their bodies overall giving; attitudes, must be bigger scale of something that shows “change” than small parts of bodies showing.

In concerning what is expressed via attitudes communicated between main characters, the biggest change must be between Thelma and her husband. After they start to travel alone without letting Thelma’s husband know, Thelma decides to tell him what she is doing at that time on the call. At that call, she pretends to show concerned for him not to worry him with very high tone voice, and never say what she really wants to say. On this call, she says to her husband like “Darryl... baby... Darryl, calm down now, honey. Please don't get so mad. I can explain...” On the other hand, her second call to him differs from the initial call at all. The line she says at this call is only “Hello”, however, the first difference is her voice. She talks in rather low tone voice at this scene, and rains abuse on him. Opposite to the first call, her husband tries to calm her down with high tone voice at this time. When calling, voice can be the biggest part of showing attitudes. Another main character seeing Thelma’s dramatically change at the closest distance can be seen; Louise. Her attitude toward Thelma gradually changes as the film goes on, and Thelma changes her position. Until she kills Harlan at the bar for Thelma, she is adamant to anything, has own firm way, and seems like Thelma’s guard for everything. However, after murdering, she is shaken, says nothing, and tends to become loss in her own thoughts. She starts to figure out that Thelma finds her own way of thinking, and may feel impatient with there being nothing she can do on her own decision. Thus, she follows what Thelma says and acts by degrees. For here, the two actresses show their own independence and personality with attitudes. Then, what do attitudes between characters produce as a result?

In any friendship, there is a balance of power. If people with their wills gather together, there must be ones. The same can be applied to the characters here in Thelma & Louise. For here, their preceding attitudes dramatically lead how they are changed in balance of powers. It is first focused on which is between Thelma and Louise; the biggest two part of describing change in this movie. Their trip which begins with fun starts to be darkened after the scene of killing Harlan at the bar, and running away. It can be said their relationships become so different before and after this very place. Until Louise kills Harlan, Thelma apparently follows what she says without hesitations, however, after that, Louise goes wrong a little bit as it is described before, and the change follows the balance of power between them. It particularly appears around the scene of Thelma’s shop robbery. Disregarding Louise with a bit pause in the car, Thelma goes to rob the shop with aggressive. From here, it shows what process they are through when doing something dangerous; Louise thinks the way logically by words (it takes amounts of time), but Thelma shows it by her own action (it is quicker). In balance of power among them, it can be that it is turned the sequence at the very scene which has an impact on both of them. Almost the same as which is for attitude can be applied to the balance of power between Thelma and her husband; after her second call to him, she starts to think just about her (them) own going on, and it differs from the opening behaving toward him at the kitchen. In all thoughts on their own, Thelma and her husband are the same, however, she feels free about everything without concerning on him, otherwise, he acts like caring of her, but actually thinks about his own decency. In this point, their relationship is, so to say, separated at all. As the relationship is changed, the balance of power must be dramatically changed.

As seen from preceding paragraphs, the dramatic change in the two actresses characters’ position are shown via so different means from other popular movies. In this one, the actresses show their characters’ change by eye moving(plus voice tone), attitudes toward anyone around them, and balance of power consequently coming up; however, what must be emphasized is the importance of them as women expressing their strength through these ways. Every movie has themes of them own, of course, this movie Thelma & Louise talks about the general outline of women’s position in the world, and how women can get their position in the future. It can be consequently said that actresses and actors in this movie say not only lines or story, but also unstated messages through many strategies.