Introduction

Abstract

One of the main preoccupations of feminist film theory and criticism since the 1970s has been the objectification of women in mainstream Hollywood cinema. From the discussions surrounding the stereotypical images of women on-screen, through theories of spectacle and masquerade, to approaches stemming from queer theory and cultural studies, a vast body of work has accumulated which has sought new and challenging ways of viewing and interpreting women in film, reading films against the grain and theorizing the experience of the female spectator. This book explores how certain recent films move away from the traditional positioning of female characters in dominant Anglo-American cinema and represent them in more inclusive and engaging ways. These films feature lead female characters who are unusual in their occupation of screen space and time. The emphasis is not on the physical appearance of the women; rather it is on their interiority. As a group of films, they offer something new and original in terms of the representation of female consciousness, and suggest various ways of engaging responses on the part of the spectator. These films are In the Cut (Jane Campion, 2003), Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003), and Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay, 2002).