Your other post is an interesting take on the film, but I am not going to address what you said there.
That's her character's function in the narrative, but as a representation of a teenage girl, I think that's what makes people so uncomfortable with her. She doesn't smile at you. She doesn't try to make things easy for the viewer or for Jeff. She's doesn't demure. In short, she doesn't act like our culture says she should act.
I partially agree with what you're saying. Hayley is taking on a role that's usually reserved for older white men in revenge thrillers. You rarely see people discuss if the main characters in movies like "Taken" are justified in their actions. I think the other reason some people might be uncomfortable with what Hayley did (and I'm in this camp) is that she took justice into her own hands.
She tortured a man and pushed him to suicide, even when it was unnecessary once she found evidence of his crimes. Jeff's admitting to the crime right before he jumps off the roof along with the fact that Hayley seems to get away, in my opinion, suggest that the film is actually condoning what Hayley does. That's where my issue in the film starts.
I feel like the film, irresponsibly, let's the viewer simply pick a side. It's why you see two distinct views from the people who watched the film. You either have people hate Hayley (usually people who also hated the film) or hate Jeff, there are very few people that are in-between both sides. The director never really gets the audience to question their own assumptions about justice, sexual deviancy, violence, and other subjects that are present in the film. It simply presents the story in a rather neutral tone up until the end where it feels like the director sides with Hayley (and I understand why).
The issue here, and I raised it in another post, is it that the film then condones vigilante justice which opens up a whole can of worms.
Another issue with the film is that it indulges in the bloodlust audiences crave like in other revenge films. "Funny Games" is a deconstruction of these types of invasion/revenge thrillers. It doesn't let audiences receive the satisfaction of watching the killers die. Films like "Hard Candy" have this massive problem in indulging in violence against criminals, and I imagine it contributes to problems society has with unwarranted killings. It's why when a thief is killed for stealing a car you'll hear reactions like "well, he deserved it!" Same for people that have been found not guilty of crimes who supposedly "deserve to die" according to some. It's why people don believe police brutality is an issue.
On top of this, at the beginning of the film, she DOES act like we think a girl should act. She seeks Jeff's approval. She is blatantly sexual, asking to be looked at, because every girl knows that she is looked at. She is impressed by him. She is flattered by his attention. Of course, she's acting. She's performing the role of the female. When she STOPS doing that, people start hating her for it, even though we're dealing with a man who, at the very least, wanted to watch a girl be raped and murdered. A man who picks up girls online.
Well, she acts like what she thinks Jeff is attracted to, and not necessarily what the audience think is proper for girls.
"I've just recently become aware of how deep the misogyny goes in our culture. I think the reactions on this board serve as pretty good evidence that it runs right to the core."
I mean, the reactions on this board aren't really indicative of how misogynistic our society is. If anything, most people seem to agree with what you're saying
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