What is Frigging, the lazy archetype of femicidal Hollywood?

technical term Refrigerator Woman Syndromein Italian woman in the fridgecolloquially known as Frigging (and the latter term also applies to male characters, although it is less common).

What is it about? From narrative device which you have probably already seen many times in the movies, or reading a comic book, but not knowing its subtext. A mandatory specification, also given the strong title we give to the article, is that this is an existing and interesting phenomenon to analyze, but which obviously does not completely rule out the excellent films we will be discussing.

Freeding: what is it about?

This happens when a female character is killed and her death is mainly intended to push vendetta male protagonist, the main character of the story. It is a term with a negative connotation because it is a mechanism that devalues ​​life and dignity a narrative about a character killed for the sole purpose of inciting the protagonist’s wrath. In addition, there is a limit to rather lazy writing, which tends to dwell on clichés (sexist in most cases), which, in addition, degrade the often fundamental character. The term was coined by cartoonist Gail Simone and inspired by a comic book episode. Green Lanternin which the protagonist’s girlfriend is killed and locked in a refrigerator.

Therefore, if the origin of the term comes from the world of comics, then it is clear that Hollywood films of recent decades, historically written and filmed in the vast majority of cases by men, are no exception. Let us analyze several particularly revealing cases that remain in the perimeter of films released over the past twenty years and are closely related to the figure. male protagonist as protagonist. It goes without saying that there will be gods spoilers refers to the above films, so we save for last the most recent, in case someone else hasn’t restored it yet.

Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) in The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan is undoubtedly one of the most important and respected directors of the new millennium, but if there is a common criticism that is often leveled against him, it is that he some little problem with female characters in his films. On closer examination, almost all of his works contain a dead woman for whom the protagonist suffers, but this is perhaps the most striking case. Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins and from Maggie Gyllenhaal no one The Dark Knight) is the only notable female character in the first two parts of the trilogy. Batman filmed by a British director.

V The Dark Knight, an undeniably extraordinary film and a turning point in entertainment cinema, it’s sad to see Rachel’s character being really flat. In a struggle between two men and in constant danger, she dies near the middle of the film, causing pain in one of them and a thirst for revenge in the other. Much of the last act follows the murders of Harvey Dent, who was supposed to marry Rachel, while the protagonist, Batman, must stop this by putting aside the tragedy of the death of the woman he loved. In a film that shines with its characterization and script, the only woman there seems to be doing the most classic of girls in trouble.

Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) in Sherlock Holmes

two films up Sherlock Holmes released in 2009 and 2011, they rightfully entered the pop film culture of the new millennium. The Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law pairing worked well together, and director Guy Ritchie went all out in these spy action films with a Victorian and intriguing twist. Among the full strengths of the first chapter was the main character Rachel McAdamsStory by: Irene Adler. A sarcastic thief and a femme fatale, the historical Sherlock-push-push. A well-written character and great on-screen chemistry between the two performers was just the thing. romance for the first movie.

McAdams returned to the cast of the second film, but already at the promotion stage it became clear that the new female protagonist would be a new character played by Noomi Rapace. Cause? It is soon said that Irene Adler was killed (poisoned) by the film’s villain, James Moriarty. in the film’s prologue, in just 10 minutes and a few scenes. Scenes in which, however, McAdams manages to outshine everyone with his charm and charisma. Naturally, this exit exacerbates hatred Holmes to his nemesis throughout the rest of the film.

Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) in 007 – Quantum Of Solace

Bond Girls, I must say, have always been quite objective, until 2012, when everything started to change with Skyfall. So the first two of the five cinematic chapters starring Daniel Craig were no exception. quantum of solace, the last, to be honest, the quintet’s white crow, collecting not only the lowest box office of the five, but also the worst reviews. And many already at the time of release, in 2008, noticed how a certain way of treating a modern Bond girl became indigestible.

Strawberry fields of a very young girl Gemma Arterton (at the time she was 22 years old) is probably one of the most underrated Bond girls, except for the beautiful actress who was called upon to interpret her. Although she is also an MI6 agent, with only ten minutes of screen time, she is seduced by Bond, accompanies him to a party, and is killed by the bad guys on duty. Strangled in oil, quote cult departure another Bond girl, Jill Masterson from golden finger (1964), which we put on the cover of the article, although in this case the emotional connection with Bond was even less. M Judi Dench scolds him: “Those women do everything for you, Bond, don’t they? How many do we have? As if that wasn’t enough, Gemma Arterton herself said she regretted the role, objectively boring and humiliating.

Roxy (Sophie Cookson) in Kingsman

Relative comes out in early 2015 and is a surprise to the general public: of course, there was already a powerful cast (Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Michael Caine), but the style is off the charts, hilarious splashes to captivate the audience. The film collects almost five times the budget spent on its creation, which is an undeniable success (which was partially confirmed by the second chapter, but in a cooler form). One of the driving forces of the story, most appreciated by fans and critics, is the playful and tender relationship between the protagonist, young secret agent Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and his girlfriend Roxy (Sophie Cookson), himself a recruit of the secret services.

Cookson is confirmed in the cast of the second movie, complete with a poster dedicated to her during a publicity campaign, but you know what? That’s right, he dies just two scenes later, during the attack of the new villains on the secret agency. And, of course, an ailing Eggsy draws additional motivation and anger from his death to defeat the new villains. Yes, here we go again.

Ilse Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in Mission: Impossible: Frying, also in 2023.

The premise is that the film itself is breathtaking and absolutely worthy of being seen in theaters. But it is sad to note that, despite the careful attention given to Tom Cruise and from director Christopher McQuarrie to the female characters of the saga, especially in later films, this time we’re going back to the same old pattern with both shoes. After creating the previous two chapters of the Ilse Faust saga, the agent played by Rebecca Fergusona character very well characterized and loved by the public, in reckoning woman meets her end. And this is not the worst problem.

Rather, his character as written this time around is completely bland, as the character only appears in a few scenes, barely speaking, then a slight emotional buildup with the main character, Ethan, with sweet hugs and romantic glances, and shortly thereafter. , choice. Which? The villainess decides that one of them and Grace (Hayley Atwell, new recording of the last chapter) will have to die that night. hit Ethan emotionally

, Main character. For a saga in which more than one woman has died “because of her” in the past, not exactly an original choice. Ilsa, the closest of the two to Ethan, dies, and after two minutes of mourning on the cross, Grace takes her place on the team, and the mission continues.

While Hayley Atwell is fantastic in this movie, it begs the question: how is it that Ethan’s two historical allies (played by Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg) survive every improbable situation in every movie, while women change cyclesfrom film to film, as if they were much more expendable pawns on a chessboard than their male counterparts (and strictly younger than them..?).

Pattern repeats

To be honest, it’s hard not to notice the traces sexism and cinematic ageismHollywood has always been a longstanding problem. The flawless and heroic male protagonists seem to have a pass that their female counterparts don’t, almost always being killed off during the films or sagas in which they appear.

The problem, obviously, is not so much the death of the characters themselves, but the fact that their departure almost always fits the old stereotype. Friggingwhich still continues to demand too many cinematic sacrifices.