MovieChat Forums > Wild (2014) Discussion > The constant looming fear of Cheryl gett...

The constant looming fear of Cheryl getting raped?

posted 10 years ago by Sheldom
72 replies | jump to latest

I understand this was probably a necessary element to having a female alone and hiking in the wild encountering men who could easily overpower her. I understand that a constant sense of tension and suspense should be included in the movie. And I understand that she should be afraid when encountering strangers who could rape or maim her at any moment.

BUT, what I don't think is necessary are the constant interactions where she has to fear for her life that a man will act violently just because they are alone and she can't protect herself. Now, having said this, let me state that i'm not one of those people who nit-picks movies looking to see if it's pro-women or not, in fact I think this movie is predominantly pro-women in it's portrayal of these strong female characters and the issues they face and eventually overcome and independent individuals. I just thought putting her in this same scenario in which she may/may not get raped was extremely cheap, tasteless and repetitive. I really did love this movie though and this is virtually my only complaint.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Stigger 9 years ago

You can't rape the willing.

Pants up, don't loot.

[–] LadyDi4476 9 years ago

As a woman that fear is always there. Add to that hiking completely alone in the middle of nowhere and yes it will multiply by ten. If I were Cheryl I would have brought a knife or some weapon with me.

-Di

[–] chas437 9 years ago

As a woman that fear is always there

Yes, the fear is always there, but this also possible to exaggerate the threat to a ridiculous level, like in this film. The % of males who are actually rapists is extremely low.

Who knows, maybe one of those creepy guys you that makes you skin crawl will give you the shirt off his back or bail you out of a bad situation or even save your life.

Feminists declaring 'rape culture' is a lie. They're out to poison gender relations, and they use material like this to do it.

[–] bkerber 9 years ago

We are not poisoning gender relations - they are poisoned by a lot of very scary attitudes and assumptions about women and their place in society. We are just pointing it out.

And there are a ton of men who would give me the shirts of their backs. There are far more good ones than bad ones. But because of the prevalence of violence against women in our world and the constant pointing out of that to women from the time they are very young, we simply cannot allow ourselves to assume and expect that that guy is nice and will give me the shirt off his back. As another poster pointed out, we are told not to trust, then we are blamed for not trusting. When we do trust and turn out to be wrong and get hurt, we are blamed for trusting the wrong person. We cannot win. So our safest bet is to be on constant alert for our own safety. It's not necessarily going to protect us but it will at least help us feel as if we are doing something.

[–] kcolli11 9 years ago

It's not "cheap" considering it reflects the reality of being a woman. We have to constantly be on alert but especially if there's a stranger in front of us saying questionable things. Here's some reading on the subject if you're interested:

http://www.shakesville.com/2014/08/different-perspectives-by-necessity.html

http://www.shakesville.com/2012/12/on-sitting-with-fear.html

[–] oscarunger 9 years ago

sheeesh it was just a plot device to keep our interest cause well....she basically just walks the entire movie, and flashbacks can only get you so far, none of them (even the creepy hunters) were looking to cause her harm, and most of the men seemed alright, she was probably safer walking alone in the wilderness than walking in New York filled with people, ok maybe not, she could've been eaten by a bear

[–] Todd_B 9 years ago

The hunters seemed like one of them could've been malicious, but other than him I don't think any of the males were malicious. The farmer in the beginning was portrayed as malicious until his true nature came out. The ranger was more of an annoyance than a threat. Women can be annoying when they pursue you when you aren't interested too (I've had that happen) so that is not something only one gender does.

Did anyone find Jimmy Carter threatening at first? A guy pulls over and then tells her he doesn't have room in his car? That seemed strange until he went on his hobo times spiel.

[–] blubird-1 9 years ago

Back packed a lot, national & international. At Cheryl's age which should be 22, Reese was a lot older than Cheryl. Regretted going alone because men constantly were hitting on me, following me, knocking on the doors of where I was staying, got physically grabbed & inappropriately touched a couple of times etc.... its not safe for a woman that young to hike or backpack alone. Anyone that has done it at a young age will tell you the same and have had similar experiences. Only did it for a bit until I started traveling in groups which was x10 safer, even if you are with a group of females. Wonder if people that think its safe are women that have never done anything like this alone?...and sorry men while it can be dangerous for you physically as well, think the sexual harassment is less.

[–] michaeltrenton 9 years ago

Not sure if this has already been said, but considering Cheryl's family background with a drunk and violent father this might play some part in why she seems wary of some men.
Particularly the combination of alcohol and violence that's bound to have left a mark on her from a young age. Most men she meets in the film that she seems suspicious of are all drinking or offering alcohol.

[–] JayHysterio 9 years ago

In the book there is very little mention of a lot of guys hitting on her...the one in particular was the hunter which is covered in the film.

To be honest, the film really only shows the hunter and the ranger dude making actual advances on her...the ranger was less aggressive although coercing. The guy she ended up with wasn't even hitting on her really.

The rest of her sexual encounters were flashbacks to her promiscuous escapades.