Matt is suffering wounds from the past incurred while he was in high school. Mavis, immune to his story for much of their initial encounter, seems oblivious to the kind of suffering she is about to experience as she chases her fantasy man, who is also a new father, and who is blissfully married to an earnest special-needs teacher whose alternate ego is drummer for an all-girl grunge band. Unfortunately for Mavis, there is nothing she can throw down that can turn Buddy Slade’s head. Everyone in the town knows this – except Mavis. Her singularity of pursuit is the very means by which she later attains her self-reflexive awareness, but not until a series of blunders culminating in an unexpected cry for help, occur. Theron’s heroine is thoroughly unlikeable with her indeterminacy, identity confusion, and out-of-control ego. And yet, she is larger-than-life, largely due to her plight which is exacerbated by her work which seems to have hit a plateau, as has her life.

Mavis Gary needs help. The movie hinges on her character not only coming to this realization, but taking action to save herself from her demons. Her suffering is mirrored by Matt Freehauf’s physical and mental scars inured by teenage cruelty, which Mavis’ adult self is forced to confront so that she, and Matt, may no longer live in the past. Not even the fastidiousness of Mavis’ maquillage ritual, nor her shopping quest to Macy’s for the perfect Marc Jacobs fashion armour to wear for the baby’s naming ceremony can prevent her downward slide into alcohol, anger, and numbness. If fact, no resolution seems plausible cementing this film in the category of (un)romantic drama/comedy.

How the situation is resolved (if it is) involves one pivotal scene starring Elizabeth Reasor as Buddy Slade’s wife, Beth. Yet, this scene is also the one in which the audience is left wanting Reasor’s character to contribute more words. Later in the film, Theron’s character makes the bold move of asking for help from Matt’s sister, who appears to be dressed in a nurse’s uniform. It is left to the audience to determine whether her character has changed into a more self-reflexive soul, but the situation itself is reflective of the role context plays in constituting character. For an interesting take on the subject of situational determination, check out this article by Maria Popova that I found on my Twitter feed.

In conclusion, the script, by Diablo Cody, a graduate of the University of Iowa media studies program, presents the situation of a blond, bold and beautiful heroine, aware of her privilege, perhaps a little too aware, but who has lost recognition of herself as not immune to the loneliness of adulthood. This film is dark. It is messy, and at times, sparse in content, yet, the issue of raw vulnerability, persists enough to want to discuss the topic of the numbing of affect further.

This is Brene Brown. She is an academic who researches affect.

Claremont Graduate University School of Arts and Humanities hosts Negotiating the Gaze

Controversial Cinema: Transdisciplinary Perspectives

Featuring screenings of some of the world’s most controversial films and videos.

Sponsored by the Hillcrest Transdisciplinary Studies Award of Claremont Graduate University.

To learn more about the screening times and location of the screenings contact: jonathan.dickstein@cgu.edu

Light refreshments will be served.

The dates of the screenings are as follows:

February 15
February 22
March 1
March 8
March 22
April 5

Send abstracts of no longer than 250 words to susan.hampson@cgu.edu

Cultural Studies, for me, highlights the rebellious power of the margins. Women’s studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, disability studies, media studies, and performance studies are only a few areas that fall under the purview of Cultural Studies. Perhaps this is one of the central appeals and strengths of Cultural Studies: it destabilizes the notion that the center holds all the weight, that the center is the only source of power.

The department has given me the ability to identify my academic home. When that home did not exist, Cultural Studies allowed me to carve.

This is what I hope Cultural Studies continues to be in the future: a politically conscious space that seeks to revise grand narratives. Though we find ourselves in the 21st century, racist, sexist, homophobic, classist, and ableist beliefs are still woven into our hegemonic structure. My hope is that Cultural Studies’ theoretical lenses will continue to challenge these beliefs. Within this context, the future of Cultural Studies will be one of intervention.