Film Friday: Lady Snowblood

I’ll never forget my first time seeing the film Kill Bill: Volume 1. As I’ve always felt my soul is much larger and stronger than my body, watching a woman kick butt out of vengeance for her child was not only incredibly gratifying but deeply moving. I related to Black Mamba and I also wanted to freaking be her (see my Halloween costume of 2015).

Upon learning that Quentin Tarantino was inspired by Toshiya Fujita’s film Lady Snowblood, in the creation of Kill Bill, I of course immediately had to see it.

Unsurprisingly I was moved by this story as well. Not to mention the gorgeous and artistic directing. It’s clearly the inspiration of the Kill Bill films, yet stands completely on its own as a stunning cinematic triumph.

One thing in particular that inspires me so about this main character Snowblood (as well as Black Mamba’s character), is the femininity she continues to embody while being such formidable assassin.

We’ve all seen it before: the tough chick that is also beautiful and can beat up all the dudes. But in my opinion, modern Hollywood cinema severely falls short of doing this type of character justice. Either the woman is made into a sex thing that gets the men watching all hot and bothered with her raunchy fighting positions and sensual innuendos, or the woman is made to be quite mannish. As if the only way a woman can be tough is to look more and act more akin to a man.

Not to nitpick here, but these two character types kill me. I hate them. Neither represents a real kickass woman. A woman who is strong, tough, brave and still feminine, still vulnerable, still raw, still real.

Give Lady Snowblood a watch. It’s one of those rare films that has the entire package and will stick with you forever.

Girl power!

Image via Lady Snowblood, directed by Toshiya Fujita