Tuesday, December 5, 2017

The Walk Home

“Jesus, Jason they weren’t lesbian,” I screamed as we j-walked 72nd street under the blue Chase Bank glow.
I’d read the reviews in the papers the day before. In the Journal they were appalled while the Times deemed it as ‘the feminist film of the century.’
“You seriously couldn’t see the sexual undertones throughout the whole movie?” He questioned sharply.
“What undertones? They were best friends. Nothing more. The whole point of the film was that they gave each other more platonic satisfaction than any man ever could.”
“It didn’t matter whether or not they had sex. Would many people even see the movie if they had sex? The kiss at the end was a wink and a nod. It couldn’t have been anything else.”
“That kiss was platonic. They loved each other so deeply that a non-sexual kiss was the expression of that platonic love.”
“God…”
“No seriously. Straight men never kiss one another, right?”
“Mmmmhmmm.”
 “We used to kiss our girlfriends all the time, and our straight girlfriends would kiss each other too. It was never sexual.”
“Okay. Fine.”
“That kiss was a representation of the power and un-ashamedness found in women’s relationships with one another, unseen in straight male relationships.  It was a screw you to all those self-conscious, timid men chasing them. Though they died, none of those men would ever have the freedom Thelma and Louise had, nor will they be able to understand the depth and un-ashamedness behind the kiss they had. Just as many viewers, like yourself, apparently won’t be able to see that either.”
“Harsh.”
“Its true.” Jason stopped for a moment in silence.
“Maybe if they had lived they would have come out eventually. How often is it two women from a background like theirs fully understands their sexuality within two days of leaving their lovers? Perhaps their sexuality isn’t the point. It could be a nod to something sexual, it could be a deeply platonic and female expression. Either way, you’re right in that their kiss was unashamed in a way none of those men will ever comprehend.”
“Perhaps.” I smiled.
The blue glow faded behind us as Jason took my hand and kissed it before we continued home.


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