I had no idea what the film was about when I walked into it. I had seen the book on book shelves throughout the years but never thought of pursuing it. I only just learned that the book is the first part of a trilogy by the late author Steig Larsson.
The story starts off with a journalist who retreats to a remote island in Sweden where he works towards solving a 40 year old unsolved murder of a young girl. The girl's uncle has convinced the journalist to assist him to which the journalist utilizes the assistance of a 23 year old, tattooed and pierced Lisbeth Salander. A computer hacker with a photographic memory. A young woman who is a ward of the state and lives a life of independence and dependence.
Although, I enjoyed the film it its majority, I was not at all prepared for the brutal rape scenes. The film has an "R" rating however, not everyone pays attention to ratings. This film needed something more.
Feminist blogs that have made mention of the film are careful to offer a disclaimer. "Trigger Alert" or "This May Trigger" has been plastered onto sites so as to warn viewers who have experienced sexual violence or who are sensitive to the thought of sexual violence.
I am fortunate enough that I have never been raped and it is a sad thing indeed when escaping violation is a sign of good fortune. In other words, rape is too common place. I pray that I will live the end of my days without such an experience. If you are born female, the statistics are against you. Patriarchy is not going anywhere anytime soon. So, when I watched the brutality upon the screen through half shut eyes, as I hid behind my knees; I instantly became upset with the promoters of the film.
Rape scenes stick with me. There is one scene in particular from 1999 film that haunts me til' this day. For those who have actually been through it, I imagine witnessing a rape on film can be excruciatingly painful.
Why should it be only feminist websites that think to the sensitivities of rape victims?
Sensitivity seems to come very naturally for feminists. Why is that? My guess is that sexual violence is considered by many to be a woman's issue. This hurts my feelings. Sexual violence against women is most often caused by men. So, why is rape only a woman's issue?
When men have daughters, I imagine the first thing that pops into their mind about their baby's future is not the possibility of rape. As an only child, I remember witnessing a difference between the way parents would treat daughters vs. sons. My female friends often felt they needed to compete with their brothers as their brothers were allowed to do things that they were not. For instance; their brothers were permitted to stay out later than they were. Their parents seemed to think that their sons would not be in any danger if they spent a late night out, but it was a different situation entirely for their daughters. I don't completely disagree with this.
So, what is it that changes when a woman is of age? How is it any different if a girl is living at home with her parents at the age of 16 or if she is living alone at the age of 30? Why is the danger any less? Women can certainly find ways to protect themselves, but that's not the point. The point is that there are men out there that wish to harm women and these men will attempt to do so.
This is not to say that boys and men aren't victims of sexual violence. Boys and men must be careful as well. It is not as if men are invincible and that there aren't lunatics out there who want to harm. Most men however, have the luxury of maneuvering through life without as much concern about sexual assault. This is their privilege.
It is frustrating that so many men do not know or acknowledge that they have this privilege. Privilege is the norm and therefore ignorance is bliss. Privilege is not the norm for women so it is often women who attempt to educate men. Not all men listen. In fact if I were a man writing this post, I think more men would pay attention to these words. Because then a male audience might understand more clearly that rape is not just a woman's issue.
A lot of the things that invade our lives will end up on screen. This is not a bad thing, as film often captures real events that require an attempt at authenticity. My belief is that this film should have come with a trigger warning. A warning that went beyond the traditional "R" rating. I also believe that if certain individuals were more concerned with its audience; if they were in tune to the fact that sexual assault is a human issue, we wouldn't have this problem.
Credits
1st photo: about.com
2nd photo: beyond hollywood
3rd photo: screen rant
4th photo: the void
5th photo: beyond hollywood
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