Desire, The Male Gaze and its Subversion illustrated in ‘The Dreamers’ (2003)

In ‘The Dreamers’ by Bernardo Bertolucci, desire weaves itself throughout the narrative as we follow the relationship between two siblings and their newly acquired friend, amidst the 1968 Paris student riots. This masterpiece employs the use of the male gaze as a narrative tool, using it to explore desire, while subverting its traditional role.

Mulvey, L. (1975). "In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role, women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness” (Visual Pleasure and Narrative Media)

The male gaze is often used to view the narrative. Within ‘The Dreamers’ Bertolucci uses it to immerse us into the world of these characters and their thoughts. This is done by using techniques such as taking a first-person perspective when it comes to camera angles, to help put the audience in the mindset of said character. This in turn broadens out the emotional landscape of the narrative. This is also done by taking longer shots of nude female characters in comparison to male characters, in which mostly full nudity is not shown in the first half of the film.

Furthermore, Bertolucci also subverts the role of the male gaze in certain scenes to defy its conventional use. It helps establish the feeling of being a young adult, who, most of the time, challenge traditional roles, societal norms and gender expectations. The subversion of the male gaze becomes a powerful tool to drive the story forward, while also establishing the voice of the characters.

The most pivotal moment in which this shown is ‘The Venus statue scene’. Here Isabelle walks in dressed as the Venus De Milo statue, wearing only black gloves and a white sheet around her waist, as Matthew lays on the bed. The focus on her body in these shots is the male gaze at work, to make the audience see and feel what Matthew is. However, she has total control over the situation, effectively subverting the role of the gaze. By saying that she has no arms, she can not stop him, seems to give Matthew all the power but if the power is ‘given up’ to him, who ultimately has the most power. I believe that Isabelle still holds all of it, as by letting him give into his desire he is right where she wants him. With its subversion, ‘The Dreamers’ challenges the traditional portrayal of power and traditional values od desire. Desire is presented as multi-layered feeling.

This makes the audience question their own feelings and desires, moving away from what generally is seen as right. It helps us reflect on the understanding of these themes in film and how they can be played around with.

In conclusion, Bertolucci makes a narrative that changes the usual values of storytelling. It stands as a powerful testament to the power cinema holds to change people’s perspectives and subvert societal norms. This ultimately invites the audience to embrace a newfound way of understanding love and longing.