Abstract

This article examines the representation of feminism in Thelma & Louise (1991) from the perspectives of feminist film theory and cultural studies. Through an analysis of narrative structure, character construction, and cinematic language, the study argues that the film constructs a discourse of resistance against the patriarchal order of mainstream Hollywood cinema. The journey of escape undertaken by the two female protagonists is not merely a spatial movement, but also a process of reconstituting female subjectivity, from a condition of control to a state of self-awareness and self-determination. However, the film’s tragic ending also reveals the limitations of liberation within the socio-cultural context of the United States in the early 1990s.

Keywords: Female subjectivity, feminism, Hollywood cinema, patriarchal discourse, road movie.