Vagabond: A Means To An End
... the effect is to unfix the gaze, to render it inoperable...
Mona, through her time on the road, has managed to escape being a victim of the male gaze. The camera, through the tracking shots, never is centered on her in a sexualized way. Often, rather than a voyeuristic angle for the shots, it seems like documentation. Mona achieves this through her complete disregard for the wants, needs, and expectations of other people. She does not want to work, pay, or commit to anything. Mona inspires people, yet through these means, her time expires. She is unable to maintain her way of life, unable to escape the realities of the road, of nature. She dies, without an explosion and a shiny piece of mechanical splendor, but rather, dirty, cold, scared, and tired.