this is such a good take. i was tricked at first to think that midsommar was a good for her film, but now i realize that there was no true freedom or resolution for her. she’s was ripped of any opportunity of catharsis and growth by the cult
I always thought there was something off when hearing that the protagonist from Midsommar had a good and empowered ending. Thanks for the insightful explain!
I LOVE your definition of the good for her genre: I think a proper good for her movie needs to have a protagonist who is wronged, and eventually "rights" her wrongs, regardless of how ethically she did it (usually it is not, and sometimes it involves murder). however, i think movies like midsommar and the vvitch can be considered "good for her" movies because of the concept of "merry bad endings." in a merry bad ending, the protagonist is in a bad situation from our pov, but is happy in theirs. Yes Dani and Tomasin have essentially joined cults, but they have left their abusive, defunct social circle to join a new one that makes them FEEL seen, heard, and loved. I think it is best captured by Lucille's quote; no, it was technically not "good" for that mother to drive into a lake. But the mother "took control" of her life by doing so. So good for her! p.s American Mary is another movie that I consider a Good For Her movie, highly recommend if you like horror : )
To put context to Zara's death, it was also the very first female death of the Jurassic Park series. They wanted it to be a big one. Side note the actress Katie McGrath is a baddass who did all her own stunts for that scene.
I'm happy to see that you also took midsommar and vvitch as not good for her movies. So many people get confused by the endings, and for midsommar Ari Aster said he wanted dany's moment of "triumph" at the end to feel cathartic.
If they wanted to kill someone in Jurassic World who did not deserve it, they could have offed Lowery or that one Park employee who stopped the gyrosphere ride. That could have been much more interesting and impactful.
I'd like to add a to the Good For Her list: The First Wives Club, especially now in that not only is it about wronged women harnessing their anger for justice, they also pass that power on to others with the crisis center they start. Granted, none of the husbands get disembowled like some of them deserve, it is pretty cathartic
Hey, just found this video recommended to me by yt :) First time I heard about it, I'm not a big film buff or around twitter at all, but I enjoyed this introduction to the trope and its analysis! Interesting points on the depictions of female rage and vengeance. Eespecially considering how the other side of the coin, "Wronged Man Beats Up 50 People, Kills Another 10", keeps spawning movies whose protagonists somehow evade any complex moral judgements. e: oooooh, I'm subscribed to you, from the Fear and Hunger doppleganger video! And here I thought the algorithm was doing something right for once and introduced an interesting creator xD
i LOVED hard candy!!! its such a good for her movie especially if you look at the term’s roots in arrested development. so many girls have wanted desperately to track down and torture every pedophile they could and the movie explored that scenario so nicely. the catharsis i got from watching haley make this abuser come to terms with his actions and end his own life just so his crimes were never realized and then just leave. wipe her hands clean of him just like he did to every little girl he’d ever hurt. id love to see an analysis from you on hard candy specifically!
I disagree on the Zara matter, I truly believe the director. I remember watching the movie, yet strangely the only scene i recall vividly is her death. It was at that moment that I started taking the movie seriously. Bc death isn't selectiva, it's random, and the sudden and horrid death scene of Zara made me instantly empathetic towards a character that is secondary par excellence and her unnamed fiancè
i loved this video! great work tying these movies together and esp for clarifying the lucille bluth quote, very key context for "good for her". just found ur channel & subscribed :)
This is a very good and entertaining summary/explination of this troupe. I always watch your videos on tiktok so I really enjoyed seeing a longer version.
I’m so glad my Hunger Games renaissance era brought me to this channel cause even when it’s not the subject that originally brought me here it’s so good 🫶🏻
Curious whether/where the r*** and/or revenge genre overlaps with this discussion. Tarantino uses that trope often in his work but I never tire of it somehow (Death Proof, Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds). Promising Young Woman seems to straddle the good for her/bad for her distinction because of its ending that provides simultaneous catharsis and gut punch.
I did not know about this subgenre title until this video. The bros and I just called them Twoddle films, an in joke slang for what one of my more eccentric friends called Treaties on why Women Deserve Less, or TOWWDL. Twoddle.
I suppose, a low class female surrounded by higher class people is able to get out due to her low class status. Not necessarily because she is female but it does help.
Perhaps because the Protag escaped her original circumstances, and avoided any accountability with her past coming to haunt her. So, in essence, she gets away with it. She keeps her position of privilege despite being born a Tethered.
I dont know how to feel about hard candy. A movie where im supposed to see a 14 year old who is Very Capable of luring and trapping men to kill as incapable of consenting to sex. I am a csa victim. This is not a good movie if youre trying to make a point about actual victims. Its stupid torture porn? And its one thing to admit that, but its another to admit the teenager is such a bad caricature of "innocence"(a concept i balk at for many reasons) even from the outset that the claim of statutory falls flat on its face. i dont know how to feel. Bc hes a bad guy he r4ped and killed somebody. But shes being portrayed as some innocent sexless being when shes torturing some guy she flirted with and lured offline to do that to. So like. She uh. She can consent. They wrote this so badly the only conclusion i can draw is that not only can she consent, but SHE gr0omed a fuckin murderer into trusting her enough that she could murder him back. THIS IS BAD WRITING???? Either that or im so against retributive justice that the whole premise bothers me, and so creeped out by the cognitive dissonance society has thinking sex is magically more traumatizing than violence.....i guarantee killing that guy did more damage than having sex with him would. Psychologically speaking? Committing murder as a teen generally does more damage than having sex(not r4pe, sex) regardless of who its with, especially under the circumstances the movie presents. Genuinely disturbed. its so mormon of everybody. So evangelical. Treating all sex like a weapon instead of Just R4pe bc thats violence + sex. The movie is unsettling to me for very different reasons it seems. The life ive lived is a hellish one and nobody is entitled to the details as to how i came to these conclusions. Id ask that you THINK about this stuff at least. The movie was very weirdly done. Why did they make those contradictory choices if they didnt want me to think these things? And, before it comes up, theres nothing to say about the guy. Hes guilty. Hes a r4pist in a whole other setting. The complexities SURROUND his existence, unfortunately, hes a very flat meme. My ideas of justice are not Torture and Murder in any way shape or form, though. So that settles every aspect of his arc. Any crime he committed i would still want him in a different setting and a more humane reformed prison system. Not this. Okay? Done. Hes bad. She is so poorly written the movie doesnt work.
Arrested development giving the genpop “dead dove: do not eat” and “Good for her” incredible
and "how much could a banana cost? $10?" lucille bluth is great
this is such a good take. i was tricked at first to think that midsommar was a good for her film, but now i realize that there was no true freedom or resolution for her. she’s was ripped of any opportunity of catharsis and growth by the cult
I always thought there was something off when hearing that the protagonist from Midsommar had a good and empowered ending. Thanks for the insightful explain!
I LOVE your definition of the good for her genre: I think a proper good for her movie needs to have a protagonist who is wronged, and eventually "rights" her wrongs, regardless of how ethically she did it (usually it is not, and sometimes it involves murder).
however, i think movies like midsommar and the vvitch can be considered "good for her" movies because of the concept of "merry bad endings." in a merry bad ending, the protagonist is in a bad situation from our pov, but is happy in theirs. Yes Dani and Tomasin have essentially joined cults, but they have left their abusive, defunct social circle to join a new one that makes them FEEL seen, heard, and loved.
I think it is best captured by Lucille's quote; no, it was technically not "good" for that mother to drive into a lake. But the mother "took control" of her life by doing so. So good for her!
p.s American Mary is another movie that I consider a Good For Her movie, highly recommend if you like horror : )
To put context to Zara's death, it was also the very first female death of the Jurassic Park series. They wanted it to be a big one. Side note the actress Katie McGrath is a baddass who did all her own stunts for that scene.
I'm happy to see that you also took midsommar and vvitch as not good for her movies. So many people get confused by the endings, and for midsommar Ari Aster said he wanted dany's moment of "triumph" at the end to feel cathartic.
But it's not cathartic. It's just depressing that she got indoctrinated into a cult and all her friends are dead cuz of them.
“BABE, GET OVER HERE. LUCKY DROPPED ANOTHER BANGER”
If they wanted to kill someone in Jurassic World who did not deserve it, they could have offed Lowery or that one Park employee who stopped the gyrosphere ride. That could have been much more interesting and impactful.
His whole interview response sounded like a lie
babe wake up lucky posted a good for her video
I'd like to add a to the Good For Her list: The First Wives Club, especially now in that not only is it about wronged women harnessing their anger for justice, they also pass that power on to others with the crisis center they start. Granted, none of the husbands get disembowled like some of them deserve, it is pretty cathartic
Thank you for the Colin Trevorrow discussion. Every time that guy tells me how he thinks the world works I find a new source of existential horror.
Hey, just found this video recommended to me by yt :)
First time I heard about it, I'm not a big film buff or around twitter at all, but I enjoyed this introduction to the trope and its analysis!
Interesting points on the depictions of female rage and vengeance. Eespecially considering how the other side of the coin, "Wronged Man Beats Up 50 People, Kills Another 10", keeps spawning movies whose protagonists somehow evade any complex moral judgements.
e: oooooh, I'm subscribed to you, from the Fear and Hunger doppleganger video! And here I thought the algorithm was doing something right for once and introduced an interesting creator xD
I love your long form content as much as the short
i LOVED hard candy!!! its such a good for her movie especially if you look at the term’s roots in arrested development. so many girls have wanted desperately to track down and torture every pedophile they could and the movie explored that scenario so nicely. the catharsis i got from watching haley make this abuser come to terms with his actions and end his own life just so his crimes were never realized and then just leave. wipe her hands clean of him just like he did to every little girl he’d ever hurt. id love to see an analysis from you on hard candy specifically!
Great takes and loved the midsommar and vvitch "asterisks"! I completely agree and felt like you saw behind the lines.
I love youuu Luckyyyy and this all makes so much sense. I love the good for her movies, personally.
This was really fascinating. Thank you for another thought provoking vid 🙏😁
I'd be so happy for more trope deep dives like this!!
I disagree on the Zara matter, I truly believe the director. I remember watching the movie, yet strangely the only scene i recall vividly is her death. It was at that moment that I started taking the movie seriously. Bc death isn't selectiva, it's random, and the sudden and horrid death scene of Zara made me instantly empathetic towards a character that is secondary par excellence and her unnamed fiancè
i loved this video! great work tying these movies together and esp for clarifying the lucille bluth quote, very key context for "good for her". just found ur channel & subscribed :)
I always loved your tiktoks but Im so happy I found your youtube!!
This was really great!! Can’t wait to make all my friends watch it ❤
This is a very good and entertaining summary/explination of this troupe. I always watch your videos on tiktok so I really enjoyed seeing a longer version.
I’m so glad my Hunger Games renaissance era brought me to this channel cause even when it’s not the subject that originally brought me here it’s so good 🫶🏻
this!!
I think that "Menu" and "Immaculate" fit here aswell
The Menue comes to mind.
Curious whether/where the r*** and/or revenge genre overlaps with this discussion. Tarantino uses that trope often in his work but I never tire of it somehow (Death Proof, Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds). Promising Young Woman seems to straddle the good for her/bad for her distinction because of its ending that provides simultaneous catharsis and gut punch.
your videos are so good i wish i could singlehandedly pay your rent
Carrie should have been included in the original tweet. My girl deserves all the love.
you never miss
very well-written vid, thx!
I did not know about this subgenre title until this video. The bros and I just called them Twoddle films, an in joke slang for what one of my more eccentric friends called Treaties on why Women Deserve Less, or TOWWDL. Twoddle.
The only solace i get from Zara's death is that i heard the actress wanted an extremely drawn out and long death 😢
Do you think the menu could also count as a good for her film?
I suppose, a low class female surrounded by higher class people is able to get out due to her low class status. Not necessarily because she is female but it does help.
I will be forever angry at Zara's inordinately and drawn out death in Jurassic World. Like, for what?
I was about to say it sounds like leftie from tiktok, then saw the account 😭😭
Interesting theory, where would you place a film like The Menu in relation to this trope?
Wasn t Mandy on the "Good for her" category as well?
For the engagement
do you think the hunt would classify in this genre ?
You are so cerebral it’s crazy🤯
How exactly is Us a Good For Her? Neither of them really win in the end
Perhaps because the Protag escaped her original circumstances, and avoided any accountability with her past coming to haunt her. So, in essence, she gets away with it. She keeps her position of privilege despite being born a Tethered.
Goku still solos
I dont know how to feel about hard candy. A movie where im supposed to see a 14 year old who is Very Capable of luring and trapping men to kill as incapable of consenting to sex. I am a csa victim. This is not a good movie if youre trying to make a point about actual victims. Its stupid torture porn? And its one thing to admit that, but its another to admit the teenager is such a bad caricature of "innocence"(a concept i balk at for many reasons) even from the outset that the claim of statutory falls flat on its face.
i dont know how to feel. Bc hes a bad guy he r4ped and killed somebody. But shes being portrayed as some innocent sexless being when shes torturing some guy she flirted with and lured offline to do that to. So like. She uh. She can consent. They wrote this so badly the only conclusion i can draw is that not only can she consent, but SHE gr0omed a fuckin murderer into trusting her enough that she could murder him back.
THIS IS BAD WRITING????
Either that or im so against retributive justice that the whole premise bothers me, and so creeped out by the cognitive dissonance society has thinking sex is magically more traumatizing than violence.....i guarantee killing that guy did more damage than having sex with him would. Psychologically speaking? Committing murder as a teen generally does more damage than having sex(not r4pe, sex) regardless of who its with, especially under the circumstances the movie presents. Genuinely disturbed. its so mormon of everybody. So evangelical. Treating all sex like a weapon instead of Just R4pe bc thats violence + sex.
The movie is unsettling to me for very different reasons it seems. The life ive lived is a hellish one and nobody is entitled to the details as to how i came to these conclusions. Id ask that you THINK about this stuff at least. The movie was very weirdly done. Why did they make those contradictory choices if they didnt want me to think these things?
And, before it comes up, theres nothing to say about the guy. Hes guilty. Hes a r4pist in a whole other setting. The complexities SURROUND his existence, unfortunately, hes a very flat meme. My ideas of justice are not Torture and Murder in any way shape or form, though. So that settles every aspect of his arc. Any crime he committed i would still want him in a different setting and a more humane reformed prison system. Not this. Okay? Done. Hes bad. She is so poorly written the movie doesnt work.