On June 2, the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) screened Jennifer’s Body (2009). The horror-comedy starred Megan Fox as Jennifer and Amanda Seyfried as Needy. MoMI showed the film as part of their ‘Queer Cinema, Top to Bottom’ series. The series started on May 20 and ended on July 2.
The selection of films exemplifies the compelling portrayals of LGBTQIA+ characters. These depictions can affect language, perspectives, and coding. Author and critic Kyle Turner chose the following movies: Morocco (Josef von Sternberg, 1930), Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948), Querelle (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982), The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986), The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye, 1996), O Fantasma (Joao Pedro Rodrigues, 2000), Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001), and Jennifer’s Body (Karyn Kusama, 2009). The films survey LGBTQIA+ history within motion pictures.
LGBTQIA+ identities were secretly intertwined within cinematic history. Due to a changing culture, industry and government restrictions loosened. As a result, artists asserted their perspectives. By playing with aesthetics, they developed LGBTQIA+ representation within films. MoMI’s film collection honors the publication of The Queer Film Guide: 100 Films That Tell LGBTQIA+ Stories (2023, Smith Street Books and Rizzoli).
Turner wrote this historical book as well. The text examined one-hundred films that progressed LGBTQIA+ representation. The book includes Making a Man of Her, Rope, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Carol. From indie movies to award-winners, this film guide redefined the term “great cinema.” Jennifer’s Body has bisexual representation in the midst of horror and comedy.
After an indie band’s concert, a supernatural demon possessed high school queen bee Jennifer. She went after boys who had never stood a chance with her before. After she asked them on dates, she ate their flesh. Her nerdy best friend, Needy, witnessed one of the brutal attacks and wanted to stop the slaughter. She wished to protect her boyfriend, Chip, as well. Scenes within the film hinted at romantic tension between the women.
In one scene, Needy had driven home from her boyfriend’s house. She saw Jennifer with a bloody mouth on the road. Needy ran into her own home and screamed. In a startling wide shot, Jennifer appeared in her best friend’s room. After much coaxing, the two slept in the bed together. In a close-up shot, the girls kissed.
The camera zoomed in to show the intimacy. This impacted cinematic history because it closely showed a consensual romance between two women. Needy made it clear that she enjoyed the kiss. The film treated this kiss seriously. Soon after, she pulled away to talk to Jennifer. Later in the movie, Jennifer suggested her sexuality.
In this scene, Jennifer trapped Chip in an abandoned pool. She prepared to eat his flesh. Luckily, Needy arrived just in time and attempted to stop Jennifer. Annoyed at this prospect, Jennifer attempted to eat Needy as well. Needy said, “I thought you only eat boys.” Jennifer replied, “I go both ways.” This line solidified the metaphor of Jennifer’s demonic possession.
She was not evil because of her bicurious identity. Instead, it embodied the toxic relationship between the two girls. Needy seemed jealous of Jennifer’s beauty. Jennifer seemed envious of Needy’s positive romance with Chip. The film sets their personalities apart from their sexual orientations. MoMI has another summer screening series.
The museum’s “See It Big” series will screen classic movies. Films include Jaws (1975, 35mm), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), The Omen (1976), Star Wars (1977), The Rescuers (1977), Blow Out (1981, 35mm), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, 35mm), The Green Ray (Le rayon vert) (1986, 35mm), Beat Street (1984, 35mm), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Risky Business (1983, 35mm), Back to the Future (1985, 35mm), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The museum will have a special screening for Juneteeth as well.
They will present The Watermelon Woman (1996), The Wiz (1978), and Beat Street (1984). On Sunday, June 18, a live performance will occur after The Wiz. Local dancers from the Edge School of the Arts and an African drum circle will showcase their talents.
