Genre and Gender in The Good Time Girls
The Good Time Girls creates a well-written female revenge fantasy in an unexpected genre: the Western.
The film is part of Refinery 29's Shatterbox Anthology, created to increase female representation in entertainment, both behind and in front of the camera. The Good Time Girls opens with Clementine dressed in men's clothing, holding a shotgun at an off-screen target while she recounts her born-in-a-whorehouse origins; she takes another shot as a male voice screams in protest. From there the film cuts to a scene preceding this event: a room full female prostitutes in repose as one of them plays banjo singing the song "Katy Cruel." However, a new mood of fear and anticipation overtakes the room when a batch of customers arrives—the Rufus Black Gang. The head of the house of prostitution is quick to offer up "three new girls"—Clementine, Ellie, and Ruth. The men squabble over who gets which girl before finally pairing up and each heading to a room. From there, the film shifts between the three rooms as Clementine, Ellie, and Ruth reveal there is far …show more content…
Laura Dern, who plays Clementine, strikes the perfect balance of bitter and grief-stricken; the satisfaction she feels at finally enacting revenge on the Rufus Black Gang ripples through the audience as well. Alia Shawkat, who plays Ruth, adeptly uses her comedic acting background to create some levity and irony within the dark atmosphere of The Good Time Girls. Finally, Annalise Basso's portrayal of Ellie is simultaneously heart wrenching and empowering. The audience feels her pain as she is violated by a member of the Rufus Black Gang along with her righteous anger and triumph when she enacts revenge. Though the actions these women take is violent and disturbing in parts, the audience is fully with them because of their stunning acting
The Good Time Girls creates a well-written female revenge fantasy in an unexpected genre: the Western.
The film is part of Refinery 29's Shatterbox Anthology, created to increase female representation in entertainment, both behind and in front of the camera. The Good Time Girls opens with Clementine dressed in men's clothing, holding a shotgun at an off-screen target while she recounts her born-in-a-whorehouse origins; she takes another shot as a male voice screams in protest. From there the film cuts to a scene preceding this event: a room full female prostitutes in repose as one of them plays banjo singing the song "Katy Cruel." However, a new mood of fear and anticipation overtakes the room when a batch of customers arrives—the Rufus Black Gang. The head of the house of prostitution is quick to offer up "three new girls"—Clementine, Ellie, and Ruth. The men squabble over who gets which girl before finally pairing up and each heading to a room. From there, the film shifts between the three rooms as Clementine, Ellie, and Ruth reveal there is far …show more content…
Laura Dern, who plays Clementine, strikes the perfect balance of bitter and grief-stricken; the satisfaction she feels at finally enacting revenge on the Rufus Black Gang ripples through the audience as well. Alia Shawkat, who plays Ruth, adeptly uses her comedic acting background to create some levity and irony within the dark atmosphere of The Good Time Girls. Finally, Annalise Basso's portrayal of Ellie is simultaneously heart wrenching and empowering. The audience feels her pain as she is violated by a member of the Rufus Black Gang along with her righteous anger and triumph when she enacts revenge. Though the actions these women take is violent and disturbing in parts, the audience is fully with them because of their stunning acting