Evolving public discourse on rape and rape culture is reflected in contemporary cinema. This thesis analyzes Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022)—all directed by women—through the theoretical framework of the ethics of care, highlighting how these films expose the persistence of rape culture and the systemic failure of institutions to support victims of sexual violence. Drawing on scholarship about rape culture, this analysis shows how the rape myths and institutional gaslighting depicted in these films function to dismiss victims’ testimonies, mirroring broader patterns of invalidation. The films explore both individual and collective responses to sexual violence, examining the consequences of isolation, the ethical dimensions of violent and non-violent resistance, and the importance of care-based solidarity among women. This thesis argues that the resistance depicted in these films is not merely reactive, but an ethical response to institutional failure.
","abstract_html":"<p>Evolving public discourse on rape and rape culture is reflected in contemporary cinema. This thesis analyzes <em>Promising Young Woman</em> (2020), <em>Blink Twice</em> (2024), and <em>Women Talking</em> (2022)—all directed by women—through the theoretical framework of the ethics of care, highlighting how these films expose the persistence of rape culture and the systemic failure of institutions to support victims of sexual violence. Drawing on scholarship about rape culture, this analysis shows how the rape myths and institutional gaslighting depicted in these films function to dismiss victims’ testimonies, mirroring broader patterns of invalidation. The films explore both individual and collective responses to sexual violence, examining the consequences of isolation, the ethical dimensions of violent and non-violent resistance, and the importance of care-based solidarity among women. This thesis argues that the resistance depicted in these films is not merely reactive, but an ethical response to institutional failure.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fredgant, Naomi H."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Film Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Nam Lee, Ph.D.","Emily Carman, Ph.D.","CK Magliola, ABD."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:47Z","subjects":["Rape Culture","Promising Young Woman","Blink Twice","Women Talking","Ethics of Care","Rape Representation","Applied Ethics","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Feminist Philosophy","Film and Media Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/42","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Nam Lee, Ph.D.","Emily Carman, Ph.D.","CK Magliola, ABD."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fredgant, Naomi H."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-05-19T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Film Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Rape Culture","Promising Young Woman","Blink Twice","Women Talking","Ethics of Care","Rape Representation","Applied Ethics","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Feminist Philosophy","Film and Media Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/42"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Evolving public discourse on rape and rape culture is reflected in contemporary cinema. This thesis analyzes Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022)—all directed by women—through the theoretical framework of the ethics of care, highlighting how these films expose the persistence of rape culture and the systemic failure of institutions to support victims of sexual violence. Drawing on scholarship about rape culture, this analysis shows how the rape myths and institutional gaslighting depicted in these films function to dismiss victims’ testimonies, mirroring broader patterns of invalidation. The films explore both individual and collective responses to sexual violence, examining the consequences of isolation, the ethical dimensions of violent and non-violent resistance, and the importance of care-based solidarity among women. This thesis argues that the resistance depicted in these films is not merely reactive, but an ethical response to institutional failure.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Fredgant, Naomi H. Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and the Ethics of Care in Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022). 2026. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons,https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000732"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and the Ethics of Care in Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Nam Lee, Ph.D.","Emily Carman, Ph.D.","CK Magliola, ABD."],"dc:creator":["Fredgant, Naomi H."],"dc:date.available":["2026-05-19T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Evolving public discourse on rape and rape culture is reflected in contemporary cinema. This thesis analyzes Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022)—all directed by women—through the theoretical framework of the ethics of care, highlighting how these films expose the persistence of rape culture and the systemic failure of institutions to support victims of sexual violence. Drawing on scholarship about rape culture, this analysis shows how the rape myths and institutional gaslighting depicted in these films function to dismiss victims’ testimonies, mirroring broader patterns of invalidation. The films explore both individual and collective responses to sexual violence, examining the consequences of isolation, the ethical dimensions of violent and non-violent resistance, and the importance of care-based solidarity among women. This thesis argues that the resistance depicted in these films is not merely reactive, but an ethical response to institutional failure.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/42"],"dc:source":["Fredgant, Naomi H. Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and the Ethics of Care in Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022). 2026. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons,https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000732"],"dc:subject":["Rape Culture","Promising Young Woman","Blink Twice","Women Talking","Ethics of Care","Rape Representation","Applied Ethics","Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies","Feminist Philosophy","Film and Media Studies"],"dc:title":["Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and the Ethics of Care in Promising Young Woman (2020), Blink Twice (2024), and Women Talking (2022)"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Film Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:47Z"}