The case for a queer Bella

Posted on | July 24, 2010 | 6 Comments

Spoiler alert: If you intend to see the current Twilight movie, maybe don’t read this til later.

After writing the love post this week I went to see Twilight: Eclipse - part of a bonding session with K, who is writing his thesis on feminism and film. The last offering in the series was fairly ludicrous compared to the delightful angst of the first. Unlike the gender issues that continue to be the main source of outrage for many, I found the patriotism of New Moon much more of a concern. Too silly to be camp, it conveyed and I think perpetuated the claustrophobia that marks the despair of small town life for many young women. But more than that, it also depicted the contagious and fearful sensibilities that can drive certain kinds of nationalist military fervour. It was a very War on Terror kind of chick flick.

By contrast, the latest release arrives at a much more optimistic juncture. From the outset we know that Bella intends to change and join Edward in the most complete sense after graduation. Meanwhile Edward maintains he will only ravage her once he has her hand in marriage. You can connect the dots here when it comes to all the usual postfeminist positions: pro/anti marriage; career vs man; abstinence vs. rape fantasies; choice, etc. But the film actually goes on to present a very queer set of encounters.

My favourite scene is when Bella is hiding in the snowy mountains, far away from the major battle. Edward guards over her tent through the night, ever the protector. But since she is human, she feels the cold. There is nothing Edward can do to warm her that won’t add to her present danger.

In steps Jake, the perpetually shirtless rival for Bella’s heart, triumphantly entering the sleeping bag. As a human/werewolf, Jake has a simple advantage over Edward. The presence of body heat makes all the difference in this most unlikely of scenarios, with or without further exertions.

Cradled in Jake’s arms, we wonder if Bella is really asleep, while the two boys partake in a whimsical exchange. They tease each other for their respective shortcomings, and in this playful audit of strengths and weaknesses a momentary accord is reached. Without recourse to extremes, or any spectacular conflict, Bella succeeds in bringing both boys into the tent.

The metaphor is worth pressing. While clearly the two aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, there is a simplicity to this resolution that allows us to consider as a rational proposition: what girl wouldn’t want the best of both options? If two people claim to love someone, are there ways it could work? The possibility, even the ordinariness of this question – for it is the pivotal question of the film – seems important in light of dominant cultural narratives. Can we imagine multiple lovers existing without jealousy or violence, as even producing new kinds of intimacy?

The tent scene provides an opening to read this film as a much more radical fantasy than many commentators admit. What other mainstream film of this economic magnitude seriously posits that it is possible to love more than one person at once?

To this I would add: how damaging a message is it, really, for young girls to see that they might deserve a plenitude of offers for love? Or that it might be worth being prepared for the turmoil such circumstances might generate? The relationship dilemmas our heroine negotiates are actually resolved with great skill, given the paucity of ethics guides she has available.

But what kind of world would we have if there were more opportunities to admit that we can’t be everything one person might want us to be? That it’s quite okay to be intimate with a range of people who make us feel happy and safe in different ways?

For a Hollywood film, Eclipse displays a refreshing ambivalence about love’s longevity. As Bella comes closer to her irreversible decision, a succession of stories line up to demonstrate why she should be wary of transitory feelings. Conservatives obviously welcome this aspect of the franchise because of its convenient synergy with abstinence campaigns. But this needn’t be the only way to celebrate Bella’s story.

Our very desire to imagine eternity alongside the current spate of vampire narratives says so much about our culture’s stunted registers for history. And with love, timing is everything. We excel in love’s early stages, in the feeling of infatuation. But as John Armstrong argues, we’re less adept at celebrating love’s later chapters. “Mature love” can be unrecognisable set against a relationship’s opening backdrop, and this goes some way towards explaining the simultaneous rise in divorce rates and the therapy industry. Eclipse teaches this lesson too.

Its suspended status as “the transition” story in the saga makes this film a more honest reflection of the love plot. It shows that there is no such thing as The One – it’s never going to be that simple – just as there is no way of getting involved in a relationship without taking on the expectations of others. Remember Bella must be initiated into Jake’s extended family before they will defend her. The loyalty they demand in return is tremendously suffocating. This is at least one of the ways that Jake’s counter-offer starts to look intimidating. Note too that in the final scene, as her commitment to Edward becomes clear, it isn’t so much the novelty of the-two-of-them that matters. Rather, it’s the litany of signs that Bella interprets as manifesting a larger destiny, proving that she belongs with his kin(d).

There is an inevitable dystopia to all this that the film’s title gets about right. For an average American teen, Bella’s experiments with polyamory show promise, and it’s not completely clear by film’s end whether she has successfully rid herself of these desires. Given what we know from the books however, and indeed the state of queer politics, we have little reason to be hopeful. The forces of nature will soon move these alternative ways of loving and living in to the shadows, having been allowed ever so briefly to shine. We are left wondering whether the next film can keep at least some options open, and what efforts it will take to ensure that the necessary complements to mainstream history can still see the light, and thrive.

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Comments

6 Responses to “The case for a queer Bella”

  1. Bridget Conor
    July 29th, 2010 @ 1:29 am

    Fabulous reading of the film Melissa. I too, was struck by the polyamorous tent scene as I finally watched it last night…and yes, the dystopic melancholy of it all is striking. In general, I wonder if I’m spending a little too much time in the clutches of these vampiric narratives at the moment!

  2. Chris
    July 31st, 2010 @ 4:01 am

    Hi there,
    I loved your article ‘why academia is no longer a smart choice’. I too have had my own troubles with ‘the academy’ (as everyone who has the slightest complaint with the institution calls it). Apparently I’m ‘too creative’ to be a respectable scholar in the field of Philosophy at USyd. I personally think it’s a shame how narrow, rigid and political our universities can be in certain disciplines. It’s also a shame that the academy monopolises prestige and what it means to be an intellectual. There are many different kinds of intellectuals, and as I’m sure you’re aware, not all species thrive or even exist within the universities! I’ve recently been doing some editing work for the Centre for Policy Development. Anyway, would be good to talk soon, either via email or in person. You might be able to help me or give me some advice. I didn’t know how else to contact you, so I just put my comments at the end of this blog.
    Regards,
    Chris Carlisle (c_carlisle79@hotmail.com)

  3. Learning to labour : home cooked theory
    August 1st, 2010 @ 7:46 pm

    [...] Chris’s comment prompts me to write a little more about academic labour in the lead up to the anniversary of this event. A number of people have been asking my advice about postdoctoral fellowships at Sydney, and I have been quite honest in offering caution to those thinking of applying. Increasingly I don’t subscribe to the view that smart people should spend untold hours writing proposals for grants with an insanely small success rate, just as I don’t ever want to contribute to delusional ideas about open fields for applications. In the current operating environment, universities only favour particular kinds of work. As one of my correspondents put it – showing a ruthless pragmatism that is itself symptomatic of the state of the industry – there is much to be said for minimising the pyschological damage in desiring opportunities that are actually “out of reach for all sorts of inscrutable reasons”. [...]

  4. melgregg
    August 1st, 2010 @ 7:49 pm

    Thanks for this Chris. I have friends at the CPD! Glad to hear you are getting work there. It’s important to gravitate towards projects and ventures that live up to the values you want to carry out. Happy to talk more.

  5. melgregg
    August 1st, 2010 @ 7:51 pm

    Also Bridget! Thanks for writing. At least True Blood has a few more explicitly queer angles…! Hm, I’m also keen to hear more about your PhD research – looks great!!

  6. Chris
    August 1st, 2010 @ 10:43 pm

    Do you have an email address?

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