Thelma & Louise | VIFF Centre

BFF Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) take off for a weekend getaway in the latter’s 1966 Thunderbird. But “getaway” assumes more serious connotations after Louise shoots a would-be rapist outside a bar. Fearing their story won’t be believed, the women flee the scene and hatch a plan to escape to Mexico, but encounter setbacks at every turn.

First time screenwriter Callie Khouri won the Academy Award for this feminist road movie. Ridley Scott frames the women’s plight against the mythical backdrop of the American Dream, making this one of his most powerful films. Brad Pitt’s cameo put him on the path to stardom, while Sarandon and Davis (assuming roles originally earmarked for Jodie Foster and Michelle Pfeiffer) have become feminist icons on the back of the film’s enduring resonance.

Staff Pick: Ruthie

This is a movie to love, that touches you in places you never suspected, that shows you that the road less traveled is the road to your dreams.

Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

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