The decision to turn outlaw
Thelma & Louise betrays feminism because Thelma and Louise do not act of their own volition but are driven into a downward plot spiral engaging in more and more lawless behavior only because of men. “The murder of the would-be rapist, the male aggressor, triggers a plunge into a romantic outlaw scenario.� (Cineaste Round Table Discussion, Dec. 1991, Vol. 18, no. 4. WebVISTA “Hollywood Sets the Terms of the Debate�) If feminism could be stated as the belief that regardless of gender people should be free to make choices and act of their own volition without discrimination or force then Thelma & Louise is not a feminist film. When Thelma and Louise set out on their original road trip they are doing it to get away from their male partners even if only for a day or two. However when Harlan attempts to rape Thelma and Louise shoots him they become outlaws because of their belief that no one will believe that their shooting was justified because of the social stigma that women who are hanging all over men on the dance floor are “asking for it.� If Thelma and Louise had decided to become outlaws then it would be a feminist film – women determining their own course without social interference because of their proscribed gender roles. However since Thelma and Louise had no desire to become outlaws at the start of the movie and are only made to become lawless because of their gender the film is not a feminist film. It was also directed by a man and how can you have a feminist film directed by a man?