The Film
In the 2002 film Enough, Jennifer Lopez portrays a waitress named Slim, who falls in love with and marries a wealthy man named Mitch. However, over time the marriage deteriorates, and during an argument, Mitch violently strikes Slim on the face. The abuse escalates, and Slim runs away with their daughter. Mitch tracks down his estranged wife and keeps abusing her. Slim tries to obtain help from lawyers and police but Mitch cunningly outfoxes these barriers. Mitch threatens to seek legal custody of their daughter, forcing Slim to take matters into her own hands. Slim starts training in martial arts, and (spoiler alert) in the closing scenes, confronts Mitch, ultimately killing him under the guise of self-defense in a meticulously planned conspiracy. Well, she gets away with it. The film represents an unrealistic and dangerous form of victim empowerment. The film distorts realities of domestic violence in little ways but which have bigger implications in contextualizing, understanding, and fighting domestic violence. Such little big distortions in films erode key elements of domestic violence by seeking to shape public perceptions through a biased and superficial reality of domestic violence.
Problematic depiction
The depiction of perpetrators of domestic violence in the film is problematic. Mitch, the abuser in the film, is portrayed as likable, warm, and affectionate when the movie begins. Mitch’s façade is unveiled and the viewers realize he is a monster. While this perhaps fits into the artistic paradigm of Hollywood, it reinforces the notion of abusive behavior as identifiable and apparent. Therefore, such a narrative offers an outside yet blinding lens to the audience. The audience sees the apparent violence but this view doesn’t capture the emotional turmoil, self-esteem issues, and other consequences of domestic violence the victims experience. Thus, the audience ‘sees’ what the abused partner is going through and what the victim should do. Even though a person appears likable, a professional, a pillar of the community, or even gets along with everyone else; it doesn’t mean they are not abusing their partners. Physical violence may be visible but it isn’t the only form of domestic violence. Emotional, psychological, and economic suppression exist and are intangible.
Gunter, 1988 notes “Media affect users’ perceptions of the social reality and the way societal norms and values are created”. Gunter’s views summarize the problem in the depiction of the perpetrators of domestic violence. Films direct public attention to different topics, and in the film Enough, the audience experience domestic violence vicariously. The misrepresentation of domestic violence in the film Enough not only misguides the viewers on victim empowerment but also significantly fails to enlighten its audience on how to contextualize and deal with domestic violence. Perpetrators of domestic inflict pain and suffering, and their victims are too aware of this reality.
Revenge doesn’t atone for domestic violence victims
A healthy relationship should provide security, freedom, and a love that doesn’t threaten any parties involved, children included. A desire for revenge is NEVER the primary motivation for most victims of domestic violence. The UN Women affirms this in its 2018 publication entitled ‘Ending violence against women’ by stating “abused women rarely seek out these confrontations, they are trying to understand and cope with the man’s behavior and maintain the love relationship, and mostly they’re trying to make the violence stop”. Herein lies a truth often overlooked in most movies and manifest in the film Enough.
The hyperbolic representation of abused women taking revenge by killing their abusers as the film Enough depicts is distorted. The film’s Enough romanticized portrayal of premeditated murder is misleading because of the severity of the crime in reality. Moreover, life is sacred. Films should not desensitize viewers on such critical matters. However, this distortion feeds into the film’s Enough narrative depicting victims of domestic violence being alone. On the contrary, services such as hotlines, shelters, and social organizations exist to help the victims.
Counterproductive visibility
Consequently, the film Enough fails to contextualize the realities of domestic violence. Films should understand their contents influence the society’s perception and how its members live. Visibility for domestic violence is commendable. However, visibility for popular and fantastical rather than the lived and actual consequences is counterproductive to the goal of eliminating and advocating for victims of domestic violence. For instance, when the film Enough depicts premeditated murder of aggressors as a solution to domestic violence, it desensitizes viewers on the value of human life, showcases impractical ways to resolve domestic violence, and misuses the film’s influence to shape society’s perceptions. Such misleading visibility does not empower victims of domestic violence. Films need to showcase the realities and complexities of domestic violence to help fight domestic violence!
References
Gunter, B. (1988). Poor reception: Misunderstanding and forgetting broadcast news. Routledge.
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