Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and the Ethics of Care in <em>Promising Young Woman</em> (2020), <em>Blink Twice</em> (2024), and <em>Women Talking</em> (2022)

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Film Studies

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Fredgant, Naomi H.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nam Lee, Ph.D.
• Emily Carman, Ph.D.
• CK Magliola, ABD.

• 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

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/42

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.chapman.edu:film_studies_theses-1041