A Comparitive Analysis on the Post-Feminist representations in "Flightplan" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider"

Post-feminism refers to women's achievements of equal rights, however to an extent when referring to films this achievement has become a worldwide symbol and acts as a model to many triumphs women have achieved through many years of battling the still existing patriarchal society which created a large burst of contentment upon the way women were represented as post-feminism. In 2005 the film Flightplan was released directed by Robert Schwentke which created a burst of contentment's upon the way women were represented as post-feminism was being highlighted. Jodie Foster plays the career striving protagonist Kyle Pratt, in search of her lost daughter. In 2001 Simon West's directed Action/Adventure film Lara Croft:Tomb Raider which was another successful post-feminist film , it shocked the world as this character (Lara Croft) became a renown film icon.

The major connection between the two characters within the films is that they represent powerful, independent women who aren't controlled by men. This can be seen through the way Kyle was represented within the film as she was portrayed as a white middle class single mother, with a good job as an engineer. She plays both a mother and father to her 6 year old daughter as she has to take on the role as a breadwinner and a full time mother. This connotes to the audience that she's challenging the stereotypes against lone parents within today's society as they are seen as women who don't work and claim benefits. Her costume is a major factor that influences the post-feminist ideas as she dresses in black clothing, thus indicating her mood, as wearing black shows she is still mourning for her husband's death and also indicates she goes againts the hegemony of the "male gaze". It also creates a narrative enigma within the film as it allows the audience to see how the narrative develops as this power, strong minded women battles the challenges of the male antagonist within the film.

Furthermore Lara Croft:Tomb Raider is also represented in a post-feminist manner as she is also being portrayed as this powerful, independent women although as she takes the role of a man, by going on an adventure to fight and kill the villains and save the world. This also challenges the stereotypes held within fantasy films as there is male protagonist saving the world with a women by his side. She represents women to be powerful and can do anything men can, as this film reverses the typical gender roles as a women (Croft) saves the man, who plays the damsel in distress.

Although Croft plays this power hero, this still creates a sex symbol as her costumes connote her to become part of the male gaze as she wears tight clothes which shows her figure. The director/institution might have created for the purpose of appealing to both the male and female audiences as the female audiences might look up to her and use it as a form of escapism. Whereas the male audience us it as a means of entertainments, and to also see how women might take the role of the "typical" male role within films. Within both films the similarity of Strauss theory of binary opposition as both women faces their enemies, i.e. Pratt fights against the man who took her child and Croft faces and challenges the villains trying to destroy the world, and although their roles of oppositions are different as one is more significant than the other ( Croft being more significant and more physically challenging).

Both the protagonist within the film highlight a key role, as both have a mission to complete which can be seen through the way both narratives have been constructed as they both face different challenges they both have the same outcome. For example Pratt has to look for her daughter and faces the captain and police officer as they take advantage of her emotional state and use it against her i.e. the death of her husband left her feeling distraught, but they make her believe that she is hallucinating and imagined her daughter was on the plane with her for example there is a scene where the captain and police officer stand above Pratt, with the use of camera angles and shots make her look inferior. This shows that even though Pratt plays a post-feminist, powerful, independent female, the control of male dominance is still upon her thus stating society is like that, i.e. just because women have reached a certain potential, men still have control over their limit to success, which connotes to the audience to see the subtle message behind this film.

Croft is also her mission to save the world from evil men trying to destroy it, although her setting is different to Pratt's as Pratt is set on an aeroplane and Croft is set in mountains and tombs and using props like guns and knives connects her higher more risky characters which would usually be seen as a man playing it, but as both characters indicate post-feminism has been reached. Both film connote that women within today's society don't have to be dictated by men and can control their own life's and achieve their own goals.

To conclude, post-feminism states and celebrates the historical achievement of women in the last 20-30 years within society and how women play a major role within the media today, as they are represented as being strong minded, powerful and are no longer self-reliant to men. Within the film Flighplan, political issues are raised as there is a scene where Arab men are accused of taking Pratt's child and are looked at like they are suspicious, this raises issues that occurred regarding the attacks upon 9/11 created a moral manic as it issued information to the audience that it was take seriously. Both film received high critics as they both reached post-feminism in the words of many female audience across both the UK and US.