Event: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy

For my event I watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and the rest of the trilogy of Swedish films. The most interesting element in these films is the lead character Lisbeth Salander, a provocative woman who goes against all the traditional norms of traditional female leads. She acts as a tough and intelligent protagonist, yet unlike other Hollywood lead women, she doesn't ooze sexuality. The repressed sexuality of Lisbeth fits perfectly in these films that has key scenes addressing rape, sex slavery, domestic sexual abuse and violence. I see her as a stark contrast to the women superheroes portrayed in Hollywood who fight crime in high heels and tightened corsets. Lisbeth wears baggy clothing, has tattoos and piercings, little makeup and a short hairstyle. The film wouldn't be able to take modern issues of sexuality seriously if they prescribed Lisbeth into the archetype of traditional Hollywood leading women. By repressing Lisbeth's sexuality, the filmmakers are able to address the issues of sexual abuse more clearly.

What seems perplexing is the title of the films (based on the book series) referring to Lisbeth as a "Girl" when in reality she is very much a woman. Lisbeth, as a young woman, embodies the mature aspects of adult decisions, yet they label her a "girl." Perhaps the filmmaker/author is trying to give younger girls a better role model than the Hollywood stereotype. Lisbeth as a real role model would be a better representation of how to deal with situations that most girls face at one point in their lives by fighting back instead of always being the victim. The author equips Lisbeth with modern technology and computer hacking skills in addition to her martial arts background, virtually absent in any Hollywood films where men dominate the technical and athletic aspects of characters. By ascribing traditionally male aspects to Lisbeth, the filmmaker/author equips her with the strength and dexterity to take on her male counterparts.

The antagonists in the film are all men, however their sex isn't their advantage over Lisbeth, they are men in governmental positions, positions of power. The metaphor of the government raping the people and the men in the film raping the women, seems to be representative of how the Swedish feel about their government. In the Hornet's Nest, Lisbeth's father escaped to Sweden for asylum after defecting as a Russian spy. There is a strong political comment against not prosecuting a Russian spy for sexual abuse because of his advantage in revealing Russian secrets. Traditionally, Sweden has been a safe haven for people escaping their countries after committing crimes. It seems the Swedish reveal this discord in the film. Having a women, traditionally thought of as powerless, standing up against "the man" or the government, allows the filmmaker/author to voice the population's concern over political asylum seekers.

In the film, the defectors are the ones who run the illegal sex trafficking ring, bringing Eastern European women into Sweden to be systematically raped for profit. The film follows an investigation into the underworld that turns up many of the male governmental figures as clients with Lisbeth's father using blackmail to control them. The portrayal of trafficked women also speaks about Sweden's confusing prostitution laws which make it legal to sell sex but not to buy it and the many European women who are sold into prostitution in other European countries once they arrive in Sweden. These films comment on many of the social and political problems that the Swedish people face.