MovieChat Forums > Malèna (2001) Discussion > Started off good but leveled off at the ...

Started off good but leveled off at the midpoint


My only issue was that she easily turned into a "working woman" in less than a year after her husband died. I realize there are situations that wouldn't have been known at the time compared the amount of information we received nowadays but she could have used more common sense. After the lawyer incident everything afterwards was a big disappointment.

Spoiler:
It makes sense that there could have been a situation where the lawyer took advantage of her but why would she invite him over to her house late at night. Why not celebrate at his office. Then to continue to be with him and on the verge of marrying him is absurd. What is the worst thing that could happen by refusing his advances? She was already ostracized by everyone.

For her to give in and use her body to get things was weak. I get that this situation for most women is possible but I think her biggest mistake was not getting to know the people in the village. Also, she should have dressed down to match the culture. She was the only one wearing tight clothes and skirts and makeup. I always think that if a man was in a similar situation he wouldn't have the option to use he would eventually do something to make money.

Another issue was family. She only had her father? No sisters, aunts etc. After learning of her death of her husband why didn't she just stay with her father. She was already helping him.

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Because she chose to live a different life. Because if women had always done what others wanted them to, for fear of a beat up, we would be centuries behind in mentality.
And because there's nothing shameful in prostitution, just the people of the town were hypocrite beasts. Because you should be safe no matter what you wear and because she didn't want to conform to the cattiness around and play humble when she actually wasn't. She expressed her own person. there was a price to pay, but why conform? because of fear?
And because I thought this was the most obvious movie-agenda: emancipated woman falls for the closed-mindedness of patriarch society peers.

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