|
In this thesis on 21st century transnational and american films, I explore several character
archetypes that comment on the exploitation of capitalism and also critique the marginalization
of women within this larger system. These films attempt to contest dominant ideologies and
stereotypes that naturalize globalization and capitalism's economic practices.
The first chapter analyzes the female migrant's journey in Maria Full of Grace and Bread
& Roses. These films humanize normally criminalized characters and they propose that these
characters' actions are consequences of harsh exploitation under globalization.
The second chapter moves to the commodification of the female body in Dirty Pretty
Things and Hustlers. The sex workers in these films are humanized and portrayed as complex
characters who seek to break out of the capitalist structure that views them only as objects.
Lastly, the third chapter focuses on the villainized professional working woman in
Snowpiercer and Michael Clayton. These films expose the new feminist ideology that views
corporate power as the ultimate achievement for women. They propose their characters as
de-feminized women and intriguing villains: these women cause harm but the films expose the
ways in which they are products of the system.
| 
