ABSTRACT
Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge (2017) is a stylish rape-revenge film that helped breathe new life into that often-problematic genre. The high production values of the film are unprecedented among rape-revenge films, as is the feminist consciousness with which the film is invested. The film’s protagonist is a seemingly ordinary young woman who is initially presented merely as the object of the male gaze. Her traumatic rape and near-murder then transform her into a powerful avenging action hero, playing a role typically reserved for male protagonists in film. Along the way, Revenge engages in an extensive dialogue with earlier films, both inside and outside the rape-revenge genre, further increasing the scope of its commentary on gender in society, but also on the representation of gender in film.
