flightplan- Panic room...x

Firstly, post feminists believe that women have overcome inequality and discrimination. This post-feminist view is particularly linked in with the representation of women in the movie ‘Flightplan’ and ‘Panic Room’. Significantly, both films have a female protagonist and also the same actress. The significance of the actress ‘Jodie Foster’ in both films is that she is known to play the role of a strong and independent women, who is fully capable to be the nurturer and the bread-winner at the same time. For example, ‘Panic Room- is a mother trying to protect her daughter’ Flight plan- a mother searching for her lost child’ & ‘Silence of the Lambs- FBI agent’- all roles which involve the characteristics of men including the influence and guidance of men. Firstly, the use of close-up shots represents the character as the protagonist/ hero. The representation given here is of a strong woman; as the use of close-up shots emphasising her facial expression indicate that she is someone of importance, and someone of high focus because of the use of close-up and extreme close-up shots. However, compared to the film panic room, the continuous use of high angle shots represents the protagonist as someone who is inferior thus, placing the audience in a God-like position; one of which she can be looked down upon. Interestingly, the reasons for the focused camera work is used to portray different emotions, within Flightplan the use of high angle shots and extreme/close-up shots are used to demonstrate her determination to find her daughter and defend her self. However, within Panic Room the use of high angle shots and close-up shots are used to demonstrate her fear and her need to escape. Overall, the representations of the protagonists in both films are similar but have subtle differences; within Panic Room, the post-feminist view of the protagonist is unclear; as the entire film she is on a mission to escape from the men trying to harm her and her daughter, and through her facial expressions; it can be argued it is one of fear, therefore, reinforcing women aren’t equal to men as in Panic Room. Secondly, the representations of Jodie Foster challenge the original Feminist view of women in society, and the idea whether it is a positive representation or not.The idea of 'positive representation' is problematic - these are not idealised women, rather women doing the best they can do in the circumstances. Note that she very rarely plays superwoman - one of the few times she does (Inside Man), she is a less sympathetic character. That's why I didn't put it as a 'positive' above - she is clearly succesful, and it has eroded her morals, but not totally as the film makes it clear as it progresses. Taxi Driver is even more problematical - she is tough and a survivor, but we don'w know enough about her to determine if she's just a brat or there are 'issues' that have caused her to leave.