Thelma and Louise vs. Set It Off
"We just taking it from the system that's fuckin us all anyways." - Frankie
How are the endings similar and different?
Thelma and Louise and Set It Off both show the companionship of women. Both of the films start with the act of violence. Louise kills a rapist because he is harming her friend Thelma. In Set It Off, four women need to get off the streets and decide to rob a bank. Both of these things are violent acts which give them a sense of escape, yet trap them as well. In both films, men are killed by these running victims. Both films show a sense of escape to attempt to create a new life for themselves. Thelma and Louise, Frankie, Tisean and Cleo all die in attempt to get to Mexico. These films differ because of many other aspects throughout the film. Thelma and Louise go on the road because they want a vacation from their rather boring lives. In Set It Off, the women try to get on the road because their lives of living on the streets are unbearable. Thelma and Louise have more freedom than the Frankie, Cleo, Tisean and Stony. In Set It Off, the women are associated with crime due to their neighborhoods and lifestyles. Ultimately in the end, the women in Set It Off are killed by cops because of their attempted escape from a bank robbery. Thelma and Louise decide together to drive off a cliff at the end of the film and choose their own death.
How are freedom and the road cofounded in each film?
Freedom and the road are vary in Thelma and Louise and Set It Off. Freedom and the road for Thelma and Louise seem to be a place to get away from their boring lifestyle. The freedom they have to go on the road is shown by their status as mid class white women. They already have the resources necessary to go on the road. As they continue on the road and get themselves into trouble, the road seems to trap them more and more. They are forced to stay on the road and make it to Mexico to save themselves from prison. Their freedom is now controlled by where they end up on the road.
In Set It Off, the road and freedom are something that is desired to be achieved by these women. They come from extreme low class society and are trapped in the projects. They have little to no resources to help them get out of the projects. These women rob a bank to get enough money to escape and live a normal lifestyle. Their only way of becoming a new and successful person is to get on the road. In this film, the road is freedom. We can see by watching this film that the road ultimately leads to a better life. Stony is the only person in the film who gets on the road via bus and it seems that she will life a better life than the people in the projects.