Sole Survivor
In the films, “Set It Off” and “Thelma and Louise” sisterhood and loyalty are the roots of both films. In “Set it Off,” the story about four African American women in the projects, sisterhood and loyalty are inscribed within each woman to look out for the other in the harsh environment of the projects. After meeting Mr. Right, Stony questions her future and her relationship acts as motivation to find a better life. Yet, Stony feels obligated to continue the robberies with her friends out of loyalty and when she voices her opinion to stop she is pulled back in by guilt with pleads from T.T. who needs the money as her only hope to get her son back. The loyalty and sisterhood that is instilled upon the group of four women acts as a doubled sided sword for Stony. It is powerful and successful when they are together; yet, the loyalty also acts as the motivation to continue robbing the banks and ultimately killing her three best friends. The entire act of robbing a bank only strengthens their sisterhood and loyalty. The act of a group robbery is only successful when fully trusting the other members with each other’s lives to steal the money and maintain look-out. They look out for each other’s lives in the most dangerous situation while trying to come out alive against the high security of a bank. Every hardship each woman goes through impacts the group. When T.T. loses her son to child services, it is the group’s responsibility to help get her son back. They turn to each other and gave her money from the first robbery even though she ran out of the bank at the first sight of the gun with her wig flying in the air. Their actions and success brings them together because of their common goal to reach a better life. In the film, “Thelma and Louise,” sisterhood and loyalty are established with their journey together on the road. I believe the first evidence of their strong sisterhood is when Louise shoots Thelma’s attacker. It was the first experience where the action was motivated by sisterhood in their relationship. After their violent experience, they only continue to grow closer and have a sisterhood that continues throughout the film and leads them to their decision of suicide to keep going together. Similar to “Set it Off,” the actions and hardships of each woman in “Thelma and Louise” becomes the responsibility of the other. When Thelma loses the money to the hypnotic J.D., the loyalty of the two women is strengthened as Louise decided not to kill Thelma for her mistake. Instead, Thelma acts out of loyalty and sisterhood to correct her action. Overall, the sisterhood and loyalty in each film acts as the motivation for their actions together and as the glue that sticks them together, even after death.
Both ending for “Set It Off” and “Thelma and Louise” are violent, but very different. Thelma and Louise choose their fate by driving off the cliff to continue their journey together forever. Cleo and Frankie also choose their fate by continuing to run away from the police and when surrounded they retaliate with their weapons leading to their death. When Cleo drives out of the tunnel to help her two best friends who are left, she chooses her fate and acts as a fighter, never giving up even when she is surrounded by the majority of police in the city and helicopters. She chooses to lose her life to save her friends. Frankie has a chance to give up and come out of the situation alive, but her desire to find a better life is so strong that she runs, forcing the police to fire on her and ultimately kills her. However, T.T. does not choose her fate as she surrenders to the detectives in the bank, but is mistaken to still have a weapon and is fired upon by the security guard. Her choice to live is taken away by a misunderstanding. Both ending are obviously violent, but in “Set it Off,” there is a survivor. Stony escapes from the police with the money and ends up living her life in Mexico, living with the memory of her best friends and fulfilling her wish to find a better life.