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| Emily Browning as the "Sleeping Beauty" |
Sleeping Beauty, the 2011 Australian drama, is a provocative
film that explores gender, class, and sexuality in a unique narrative. Lucy is a struggling college student
attempting to make ends meet. Like most
college students, Lucy has multiple jobs.
However, minimum wa
ge is not enough to make rent so she capitalizes on
her body by exchanging sex for money. What
makes this film unique is the company she involves herself in. Answering an ad in the paper, Lucy is hired
to cater exclusive and elite dinner parties….in her lingerie. My first reaction: is this what rich people
do with their time and money? As someone
who has never had much money it baffles my mind when excess waste is done by
the rich. But the more pressing matter
is that of female agency and male domination.
First, “Sleeping Beauty” is not just a title, but a metaphor
for female passivity. The world, at
large, expects women to adhere to certain, universally accepted,
stereotypes. Such stereotypes include a
demur, soft-spoken, “good girl” behavior.
Historically, women’s bodies have always been considered property. Even after society, in shifting their mindset
to adapt to changing times, accepting a woman as her own person not only
disrupted, but threatened the status quo.
What the film shows is, regardless of milestone victories that favored
women, their bodies have always been, and continue to be lucrative
commodities.
Selling sex, whether legal or illegal, is a billion dollar
business that perpetuates what Naomi Wolfe calls “The Beauty Myth.” A woman’s value in society, today, is
reflected in the value of her looks. A
youthful body of a woman becomes the property of society, and by default the
property of men. But this type of
property value is driven by capitalism.
Money is imperative to survival and Lucy does what she can, in her
circumstance, to survive. One way she
does is become a “Sleeping Beauty.” She
gets paid, in freelance opportunity, to go under a sedated state while wealthy
clients pay to spend the night with her.
A precept explained by the madam to each punter (there are three in
total during the film. All of whom are
in old age) states a no penetration policy.
My fascination with this kind of business is not the selling
of sex, but that in the desired motionless acquiescence of the female
body. Lucy’s full participation is not
needed or even required for the punters.
Though there is no penetration allowed, the close, intimate touching of
Lucy’s body indicates a sense of control and domination exerted over the female
body. Even her name change – Sara – is a strong indication that her identity is
not her own regardless of her involvement, and that she must be stripped, both figuratively
and literally, of her personhood. This brings me to my second point: total
masculine supremacy as the ultimate appeal.
The first punter, before he begins his session, looks to the
madam and explains a long, drawn out story – bordering on drivel – how he did
very little to cherish the things in his life.
I was looking for a philosophical meaning for his choice, but what I
found in his gibberish is a mindless justification for his eccentric
payment. The camera focused on the old
man as he broke the fourth wall to center his attention directly at the
audience. I suspect this was done so
that we could empathize with him, but it induced nothing in me that had me
convinced the circumstances involved were justified. However, the madam tells him, “You are safe
here. There is no shame here. No one can see you.” This is done to validate the old man’s
choice.
The madam, in her own words, gives permission for the old
man to take ownership of the “Sleeping Beauty.”
In doing so, the madam invites the audience to do the same, as if the
masculinity of the audience also hinges on this archaic notion of
domination. I find the fact a woman –
the madam – condoning the violation of another woman, compelling. It is as if she, speaking for all women, is
pardoning the sexual prowess of these older men that with their wealth and privilege
buy back their manhood when they buy time with an immobile female body.
The third punter attempts to lift Lucy in his arms as if he
is carrying her over a threshold. I
interpret this as his attempt to prove his masculine worth. His manhood hinges on his ability to show
strength. Yet, it becomes clear, as he
drops Lucy to the floor he is not the same man as he was in his youth, and thus
failing to confirm his machismo nobility.
Nothing more is shown of him.
The second punter, which I kept for last, is a fascinating,
but scary subject. His expression of
masculinity is more aggressive and violent.
His verbally abusive tone suggests a type of domination that is more
pervasive and common in society. Men
like the third punter desperately try to hold on to their power and sexual aptitude,
especially as they age, by exerting brutal and savage behaviors. In his scene the third punter not only burns
Lucy with a cigarette – something that is against the rules – but since he is
not allowed to penetrate her vaginally or anally, he violates her by inserting
his fingers in her mouth as he calls her a slew of pejorative words. Lucy is no longer a “Sleeping Beauty” but an
object of this man’s verbal and physical abuse, and she is unable to
participate or consent as most sex workers might be able to.
Filmmakers tries to push the envelope when it comes to
blurring the lines between sexual pleasure and rape, and or what constitutes as
sex work, but it is safe to say that the lack of consent of the “Sleeping
Beauty,” despite pursuing this unorthodox job herself, she is nothing more than
a vessel for patriarchal entitlement. The film, itself, is worth the watch; its slow
pace and drawn out shots linger to give the audience a sense of Lucy’s slow
progression as she navigates through her journey. I enjoyed the film, and suggest it as one of
my Netflix picks.
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