She spent her whole life having as much sex as she possibly could with as many guys as she possibly could. Yet, the ending seems to say that despite everything, she always has the right to say no, and if you violate that right the consequence should be dire.
Do you read the ending the same way, as pro-feminist and sex positive? Or is it only one of those two things? Or neither?
Yes to both. However, I have a hard time equating the ending with a sex-positive attitude per se. I think the ending is more in agreement with Lars' cynical and misanthropic views of the world: both Joe and Seligman showed they are hypocrites like everyone else, not worthy of kindness or democracy...
sharePro-feminist? Yes, I guess so. Sex-positive? Bodily autonomy - and with it, the right to (and refusal of) consent - is an important issue in a sex-positive framework. But the "dire consequences" thing takes it too far. Cruel and unusual punishment is not part of a sex-positive framework, because it gives an unrealistic value to human sexuality (which is most commonly exploited by sex-negative purity advocates). The mere denial of consent (barring other complications, like violent coercion) cannot be balanced with a denial of the right to life. Seligman was in the wrong to attempt to rape Joe, and Joe was justified in trying to defend herself, but, given what we know of the situation, murder (even in self defense) was not a justified outcome. To say that it was would not be sex-positive so much as sex-fanatical.
shareWhat he did, which amounts to a few unwanted gropes and some unwanted advancement (no penetration) DOES NOT justify murder. She proved that after everything, after telling Seliman that she can be compassion toward pedophiles, that she can't show her new found friend some goddamn compassion for a desperate sexual release. Instead of talking to him as you would a friend with understanding, she fcking blew his brains out? WHAT A BUNCH OF SH!T! Lars has no compassion for male characters or male sexuality, even though he is male. He has balls in a mason jar in his mom's cupboard.
shareWas she really compassionate towards actual pedophiles or just people who have such fantasies but don't in any way act on them?
Also - imagine if she lived in the same town as Mads Mikkelsen's Lucas did in Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt" (2012) and she KNEW he was innocent, would she somehow defend him?
I think the ending's just retarded, and basically comes out of nowhere.
So, it's not really either of those things, or anything else.
.
No.
Sex positivity implies sex should be healthy. Impulsive sex isn't. She was shown as someone that manipulated and abandoned people to get pleasure.
Yet, the ending seems to say that despite everything, she always has the right to say no, and if you violate that right the consequence should be dire.
The right to say "no" despite your promiscuity isn't feminist. Any decent human being understands that when one of the parties doesn't consent, sex should not happen.Can't agree more. I don't know why so many people jump into the pro-feminist conclusion. It wouldn't be different if Seligman were depicted as an old aggressive lesbian, or Joe as a young male.