Thelma and Louise is a 1991 movie centered around two completely different women who happen to be best friends. It tells the story of their adventures together and how they eventually become inseperable.
The movie opens on Louise, a "badass" waitress who has an "I don't care" attitude and smokes while working. She calls her friend Thelma, a housewife who tries her hardest to please her husband while her husband blows her off and gets easily annoyed by her. The two are taking a mini vacation together, and music plays as the scene shows the two getting ready and packing. While driving, the camera has many close up's of the two, and this is where we see that Louise is more demanding and in charge while Thelma seems to be more unsure and dependent. This is also where we first see a far away view of the car driving, which seems to be a common and repeated shot throughout the film. As the two make their first stop at a western dance club, they are approached by a man who seems to be obviously flirting with the two. Louise blows him off, as she blows the smoke from her cigarette into his face, while Thelma decides to let herself have some fun with this guy and joins him on the dance floor. The camera is very zoomed in on the two while the couple dances closely, and the shot switches to a far away view of Louise who is sitting at the table alone. This camera shot shows how the two characters are feeling at this moment. When Louise decides to visit the restroom, the man insists that Thelma and him go outside to get some fresh air to avoid her from being sick all over the dance floor, as she is clearly intoxicated. He then becomes abusive, smacking Thelma and forcing himself upon her. It is at this moment that Louise holds a gun to his head, and releases Thelma from his grasp. The two begin to walk away, but as that happens, the man shouts something at the two and Louise turns around and shoots him. The camera shows a close up of the gun and her hand, which is shaking. The two race off, as Thelma repeatedly states that they should tell the police what happened. She is in shock. Louise is practical and says no, that the police will never believe them, and comes up with a plan on what the two should do. Throughout the entire beginning of the movie, before we notice a real change in the characters and their relationship, we see Louise driving at all times, which shows that she has the dominance and the most control in the relationship, but as the two progress throughout the movie, we see an equality in the relationship and who is driving the vehicle. As Thelma calls her husband to let her know that she is alright, the camera shows a full shot of him, at home, which seems to be very dark and messy. The camera switches to Thelma, who is outside in the bright, which seems to signify a better place and her newfound freedom. She chooses to continue the journey with Louise. The two continue on their journey to Mexico, where we meet a new character, a cowboy named JD. He seems to be this flirtatious, friendly man, but we later learn after a night with Thelma that he is a robber. At this point, I was able to predict what was going to happen, which was that he disappeared in the morning with all of their money. When the two enter the room and notice this, the room is dark and destroyed and Louise breaks down. She gives up. Thelma then steps up and tries to move the two forward, remaining optimistic. Thelma then takes over the control and dominance in the relationship, as she becomes the driver of the vehicle. The camera shots a straight view of Thelma's face, to signify control, and a side view of Louise, to signify submissiveness. Thelma then uses what JD taught her as she robs a store for their money. The shot remains bright as it features the two in the sunshine, but shows a rainy darkness back home. I noticed throughout this movie that as the movie progressed, the two started wearing less and less clothes. When the two first left the house, they had long sleeves and turtlenecks on, but by this point in the movie, they were both wearing crop top shirts and were barely covered. This is another way the director used to show the newfound freedom in the women. While JD is being questioned by the police, the camera cuts quickly back and forth between the two to add to the effect that he is really being interrogated. As the camera shows the girls, it shows a straight forward angle on their faces and of the background behind them shows me that they are racing away from something, not towards something anymore, since they had previously been heading towards Mexico and now they are just trying to escape the cops. The two also share a similar hairstyle, a tight updo, which is completely different than the beginning of the movie as Louise had an updo and Thelma had her hair down. The two eventually lock an officer in his trunk and steal his gun and his ammunition. The camera then has quick back and forth shots on the two, as it shows them straight on. It features the two on the corner of the screen during their shot, which allows us to really see how similar the two have become. The two are eventually surrounded by the police, where the shot features fast music, quick changing scenes, racing cars, clear distinct sounds of everything that happens, and a slowed picture on the important details. The camera then shows us a view from above, which allows us to see the two racing in the center while being chased by 10 or more cop cars. The two are eventually surrounded and put to a halt, with cop cars on one side and the Grand Canyon on the other. They are repeatedly told by the officers over a microphone to turn the car off. This is where deep, meaningful music allows us to feel the characters connection as Thelma tells Louise that they should not give up, and the two exchange a smile and a hug where they proceed to drive their car off the cliff into the Grand Canyon.
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