Aeon Flux by Grace + 1 Comment

I went into Aeon Flux with no expectations. I hadn't ever seen the TV show and didn't know the premise. And this was probably to my advantage, as had I known the premise previous to seeing the movie, I might have expected more. To be fair, though, I also went into it with a preconceived dislike of the star, Charlize Theron, and a true wish that she would stop getting roles that I thought would be much better done by other women (North Country, Monster), so my preconceptions and lack thereof probably left me at about even.

And I really liked the portrayals of women in the film.

First, there's Theron's character, Aeon. Aeon is the film's protagonist. She's a resistance fighter in a repressive future-society, and she kicks ass in various ways throughout the film. A man never rescues her, though she does rescue one a couple of times. I wasn't overly impressed by Charlize Theron's turn as Aeon, and I thought someone else would probably have been better, but (as in the previous roles I mentioned) she did an adequate enough job not to spoil the film.

The real strength, though, is in the supporting roles filled by women. First, there's the always awe-inspiring Frances McDormand's turn as the "Handler," or the leader of the resistance movement. It's not really clear (or at least wasn't clear to me) if McDormand's character exists as a physical being or only in the brains of the resistance fighters to whom she speaks, but either way she is in charge of the movement and doesn't seem to be answering to anyone. She looks fantastic, too, in a fabulous orange wig.

Another strong female role is Aeon's sidekick, Sithandra, played by Sophie Okonedo. Mark was bothered by the body modifications Okonedo's character has, turning her feet and legs into a second set of arms and hands--he said it made her look like a monkey and, given that Okonedo is black, that bothered him. I honestly didn't see it that way, myself, as the modifications made Sithandra a more fearsome warrior and did not seem silly or monkeylike. Also worth noting is that when the Handler orders the resistance fighters to turn on Aeon, it is Sithandra who leads them. Not only is Aeon, the best of the resistance, a woman, but Sithandra, the second best, is also.

Another thing that sets Aeon Flux apart from most action films is that the director, Karyn Kusama, is as woman as well. Kusama's only previous film is the female-boxing movie Girlfight (which she also wrote), so her heroine content cred is pretty good with me so far. I hope she keeps making these types of films.

Note that none of this is to say that this is a fantastic movie. It's not. It's got a great premise--a utopian/dystopian society, built on lies and bad science, and the resistance that tries to overthrow it--and the cinematography is very cool in some places, but it ultimately comes off as pretty cheesy. If the film seemed to be aware of its own cheese, that might be OK, but it takes itself irritatingly seriously. However, it's only a bit over 90 minutes long, and the female characters are some of the strongest I've seen, so it is definitely worth a watch.

More Commentary:

• Ifritah commented on Aeon Flux at The Hathor Legacy

Posted by Grace in 3 Stars: Strong Contenders