Girls with swords

I’m gonna be honest, if there’s a movie out that features a girl with a sword, I’m probably gonna go see it regardless of what it’s about. I grew up flat out addicted to movies like Legend and Labyrinth and Star Wars and The Princess Bride, none of which feature girls with swords. What they did have in spades were willful girls, girls with tenacity, girls who if given a sword, probably would have picked it up and taken things to a whole new level. I credit this cinematic upbringing with my immediate and unapologetic love for characters like Buffy and Starbuck – girls who fight, who charge into the fray with abandon. I’m such a sucker for the story of the warrior, especially when played by a girl.

So, when posters and previews appeared for BRAVE and SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, it was a done deal. I would see these movies. Possibly more than once.

I’ve heard a lot of lackluster reviews of both of these. And I’m honestly a little baffled by that. THERE WERE GIRLS WITH SWORDS. Not only that, but these were girls taking charge of their own lives and changing the world around them in the process. There's nothing lackluster about that.

These movies probably weren’t supposed to be in conversation with each other, but they totally were. I saw them back-to-back because whenever I do manage to make it to the theater I have to make that visit count (also it’s been two million degrees out and I like free AC). Though the differences between these films are probably pretty obvious, it was the similarities I found intriguing. Basically, both movies argue that girls (with swords) are fighting against three things: destiny/fate, queens/mothers, and creeptastic forests.

But there’s another similarity – and here is where I think these films get particularly awesome – in how the films treat the heroine’s relationship to the world around her.

Take Merida, who’s bound by tradition and heading in a direction she’s not particularly interested in. She doesn’t make arguments about wanting to fall in love. She doesn’t even really protest the character of the three sons she’s to pick from. What she does do is say explicitly, “I’m not ready” and leverage her mother’s help in order to make a change in her world. Her struggle literally changes the lives of everyone in the clans.

In this case, her sword is a part of her character and passion, and with it she saves her mother’s life. 

Now, take Snow White, who’s bound by jealousy and fights her way free with a nail (which, we can all agree, is a very tiny sword). While we could argue that her character is less nuanced than that of Merida, I don’t really mind that in a fairy tale. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Snow White posses an ounce of power in her reality. This is an enigmatic Snow White. She leads with her heart and when she comes to understand this about herself, she does so with purpose and changes her world by leading the charge.

In her case, the sword is something she comes to posses. It’s less about who she is and more about the power she must step into in order to save herself and her people.

And if that wasn’t enough, this is a Snow White who changes the land itself. As Tessa pointed out, this isn’t done. Neither of us could remember another film where a woman was the one tied to the earth, bringing it back to life and happy times a la Persephone and Demeter. If you can think of other examples, please let me know. But this is another solid mark in favor of SW&tH being quite awesome.

Finally, there’s the thing about boys that makes me so happy I want to hug all the storytellers involved in bringing these two films to life. While there are questions of romance in both, neither forces the story to end in that annoyingly typical happily-ever-after fashion of coupledom. These stories weren’t about romance. They were about the heroine’s journey and HOORAY to them for allowing the girls to stand up on their own at the end.

That’s what I call brave storytelling.

So, if you haven't guessed, I whole-heartedly recommend both of these.