Film’s Lie: Romance in Abduction

By: Aimar Rosario Ávila and Kaitlyn Herdé

In film, a common plot utilized to enchant the audience is abduction as romance. In action movies especially, usually, a white male protagonist kidnaps a woman in order to complete a mission or in an effort to “protect” her from a dire situation, and this relationship blossoms into a romantic happily ever after. Though, what is really wrong with portraying these types of relationships? While these women are often taken from the course of their regular lives for their protection, a line must be drawn between genuine heroism and forced romance from isolation. 

More often than not, the films that follow this plot eventually justify the kidnapper’s actions by revealing that he is a “nice guy” deep down: the man has often kidnapped the woman to save her life, save the world, and though he must isolate her, he feeds her or pays attention to what she says. This plot glorifies the degradation of a woman as she is overpowered and controlled whether it be by utilizing physical, psychological or emotional abuse. Initially, the audience recognizes that these actions are inappropriate but can easily be drawn to accept the relationship’s foundation as an explanation to the captor’s behavior is given or as the victim becomes more friendly with their captor. For example, in Beauty and the Beast, (1991 or 2017), Beast uses violence and yells to get his point across, but still, he feeds Belle, gives her a private room, and has friendly household items to chat with her throughout the day. He is a miserable man turned into a beast, but given the right woman–Belle–he is kind and lovable again.

Beauty and the Beast(1991)

Similarly, in Marnie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, famous for his psychological thrillers, the male lead, Mark Rutland (Sean Connery), blackmails the female lead, Margaret “Marnie” Edgar (Tippi Hedren), into marrying him and later rapes her on their honeymoon though she advised him that she wouldn’t be open to physical intimacy. Mark then finds himself redeemed at the end of the movie for “helping” Marnie to examine the triggers of her emotional trauma.

Marnie(1964)

Although many films follow this type of plot, some go against the grain. A notable movie that challenges the abduction as romance trope is Miss Bala directed by Catherine Hardwicke. In the 2019 film, instead of following the standard, Gloria Fuentes (Gina Rodriguez) utilizes her relationship with Lino Esperanza (Ismael Cruz Córdova) to gain her freedom. 

Miss Bala(2019)

The romanticization of abusive relationships in Hollywood follows features similar to Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological condition where a victim empathizes with their captor while in captivity. The name is derived from a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. Four employees of Sveriges Kreditbank were held hostage in a bank vault for six days, and during a standoff, the captives and captors developed a bond. Psychologists find that the syndrome develops when the captor or abuser threatens to kill their hostage but then decides not to, even if it takes some thought.

In the film industry, we see the foundation of Stockholm Syndrome more than we suspect before the term was coined, dating back to movies like The Sheik, which was released in 1921. Films that follow a kidnapping-turned-relationship story normalize the mistreatment of victims through abuse, specifically women, as a display of affection, as if sparing someone’s life warrants mutual love. While we can all appreciate Mrs. Potts’s voice in both versions of Beauty and the Beast, we must recognize that these movies are not examples of ideal relationships, nor are they reasons to excuse such behavior in real life.