The Male Gaze
In the film Girl on a Motorcycle, the maze gaze and phallocentrism are present throughout the entire film from beginning to end. Indeed the title of the film itself indicates male dominance. Rather than a "woman" on a motorcycle, the director chooses to use the word "girl" instead. This takes away power from the main character, Rebecca, and makes her more passive and seem childish even before the film starts. Girl on a Motorcycle is filmed from the male gaze. The voyeurism in the film can be seen by the many close-ups of Rebecca's body and the focus of just certain body parts. With this kind of camera work it takes Rebecca and turns her into an object rather than a whole person. This takes away power from her and puts it in the hands of the male characters in the film and it is for the enjoyment of the male viewers as well. While this film may seem liberating for women in the sense that a woman is taking control of her life and choosing to spend it with another man and choosing the way in which she displays and uses her body, I would argue that the control she thinks she has is in fact in the hands of the male characters. Rebecca is not drawn to the man that gives her freedom and her own control, she is drawn to the man, Daniel, that controls her and tells her what to do. Throughout the film Daniel controls her actions and inevitably narrates her life.
Unlike Easy Rider, the road in this particular film is not freeing to the main character. For Rebecca, the road only goes in one direction - to Daniel. The road is not a symbol of female freedom as the road that surrounds Rebecca is completely filled with only men and the male gaze. Whether this gaze is from male characters she encounters on the road or her thoughts about men while she is on her bike, the male gaze is always around her and controlling her actions and decisions. Her happiness and desires in life revolve around men and the male gaze. This film is definitely not liberating for women.