Gradual Role Reversal

This film was by far the oddest film I have ever watched. The plot began very abruptly with Pepi getting raped in the first scene, although she did entice the policeman and suggest it. I feel this film intentionally has many unexpected twists in order to add to the "shock factor" of this obviously very liberal movie. I found it especially interesting how throughout the movie, there was very subtle but important role reversals between several of the characters. The most prominent one was with Luci and her husband, and then Luci with Bom. After Luci meets Pepi, she feels empowered to leave her husband and in the scene where he threatens to get violent with her if she doesn't obey him, the audience sees how Luci has become boldened by her new found sexuality.

I think this film makes a controversial statement about the inner sexual drive of people. We see that Luci's husband, the policeman, actually has a very acute sexual drive, yet ironically, his wife feels sexually deprived. She later admits that she married him expecting their sexual life to be very action-packed yet was disappointed to find out that he treated her like his mother. So the overarching question that doesn't get answered is why their sexual life was so dry despite the obvious fact that they both desired it. I find it interesting of how Luci said how he treats her like his mother. It shows the gender roles existent in their marriage--how the husband was the son and Luci was the mother and although there might have been love in the relationship, it wasn't the passionate sort of love they both desired.

Sadly for Luci, even after she leaves her husband, she gets stuck in another relationship where she get taken advantage of. We see this in Luci's relationship with Bom. Beginning as a taboo, sexually, almost dangerous relationship, Bom soon becomes the busy worker in the relationship who demands Luci around and Luci once again falls into the servile role, where she depends on Bom to give her attention and obeys Bom. And Bom, herself is a very interesting character. I feel her character is meant to serve as a juxtaposition with the other men in this film. Dealing with issues such as machoism, Bom is a very independent woman with almost masculine qualities. She is the only girl in the band, and boxes in order to stay fit. And similarly, the men are sexually opposite to the norm as many of them are bisexual or gay. This prominent gender reversal goes on throughout the movie, and within the given contextual time-frame of this movie, is meant to be a rebellion to the norm.