MovieChat Forums > I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Discussion > Why did the guys rape and assault Jennif...

Why did the guys rape and assault Jennifer?

posted 10 years ago by Bobby Briggs Briganza
33 replies | jump to latest

Seems like a basic question, but if you think about it, the answer isn’t simple/obvious. Or rather, it may seem obvious to individuals, but if you compare what people think, I think you’d find people are not in agreement.

Maybe the question can’t be answered since, technically, this didn’t really happen.

But if the assumption is that this could happen, there is probably a reason why.

So what do you think?

To start it off:

You often hear people, coming from a certain perspective, insist that “Rape is really about power [and not sex]”. I agree that rape is sometimes (or often, etc) about power, but I don’t agree with the implication that it is only power and not about sex. In fact, I think consensual sex, too, is very often “about power.”

Interestingly, I think the situation in this film is one where power does play a huge role…though sex does, too. And maybe some other things, too. Further, what sort of “power”? Why is this “power” being asserted?

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
Chili-P

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[–] Bobby Briggs Briganza 10 years ago

And because the rapers felt they could rape her without consequence to themselves?

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
Chili-P

[–] cara-stone 9 years ago

So you're saying that if a women is 'hot & sexy' she can just expect to raped at some point? This had nothing to do with then racists being sick twisted psycho rednecks? She was just so hot & sexy that they were compelled to gang rape her? That's the dumbest thing I've read today.

[–] Balberith 9 years ago

They had no business even touching a strand of her hair let alone what they did to her! I had no problem either with what she did to them. She could have PISSED on their dead bodies for all I care!!!!!

"A real man would rather bow down to a strong woman than dominate a weak one"

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[–] FactUnderChecK 9 years ago

wait... what makes you think they're racist?

[–] hovaoc149 9 years ago

the guy said "she was raped because she was hot and sexy"

nowhere did the poster say that she deserved it.

He merely stated a reason as why she might have been raped.

and it is 100% true.

do you think the rednecks would have raped soneone that they were not remotely attracted to sexually?

[–] blondcutie1972 10 years ago

I think it is because they knew she would never want to have consensual sex with them, they are a bunch of low class sleazebags, and also they are just a bunch of *beep* with nothing better to do.

[–] Bobby Briggs Briganza 10 years ago

OK, so their want of sex with an attractive woman motivated them, and whereas ‘high class’ people would restrain themselves from taking it by force, it did not restrain them?

I am not disagreeing - but that is not the usual/only narrative of rape that we get nowadays, so I am wondering if that is all.

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
Chili-P

[–] blondcutie1972 10 years ago

I am just saying from their point of view, they were probably thinking that, they probably think she is too good for them to have sex with them. Just an opinion.

[–] Bobby Briggs Briganza 10 years ago

Yeah, we’re all expressing our opinions here :) no problem.

So one perspective is that it boils down to guys wanting to have sex with an attractive woman.

But then why do they want to hurt and humiliate her, too? Is that part of sexual gratification? Or is there some other motive? Do they feel a need to “punish” her for something they perceive she has done or represents?

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
Chili-P

[–] sara4886 10 years ago

I think they humiliated her because not only did she turn down Johnny's sexual advances at the gas station, she also humiliated him in front of his friends when she caused him to trip over the bucket and fall on his butt. (I doubt the "in front of his friends" part would've mattered as much, he just seemed to have a pretty fragile ego in the beginning, imho) He was hurt and humiliated from that experience and apparently vowed to do the same to her, only much worse.

Also, I think it was more that they felt entitled to have sex with her because she was attractive and because she denied them sex, which seems to have only made them want it more. I think it was very much about power, them showing their power over her after she tried to use her power over her own body to deny sex to Johnny. It seemed as if they wanted to forcefully take what they felt like they were owed, at least in the case of Johnny.
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[–] ftremblay379 9 years ago

In one scene, while they were watching the videos of her in panties in the kitchen, a guy said "How do you even have that?" or something to that effect. So what the guy above me said is not that far fetched, you even have evidence in the movie to prove that it was on their mind. But it wasn't the only reason of course.

The main guy also felt that she humiliated him at the gas station, and he was getting mocked by his friends because of it. If you pay attention to the dynamics, the leader is actually really smart, he tells the other two what to do because they are dumb and easy to control. He probably didn't like them mocking him and saw getting revenge on her as asserting his authority and his badassness over the other two, not the girl. The girl to me was mainly a prop to show that you don't make fun of that guy.

They were probably all a little messed up in the head too.

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[–] azurit 10 years ago

theres a film called irreversible. someone rapes a beautiful woman. the woman is scared and does not try to fight. he curses her for being pretty and for being an uptown girl, being a member of high society. after the rape he wont let her go. he beats her nearly to death and destroys her face, yelling: thats for your pretty face...

it seems that rape is really about fear and envy that turn into anger and hate. rape seems to be about power. people who cannot accept a no or any frustration.

[–] Bobby Briggs Briganza 10 years ago

rape seems to be about power.

Always? I wrote in the OP,
You often hear people, coming from a certain perspective, insist that “Rape is really about power [and not sex]”. I agree that rape is sometimes (or often, etc) about power, but I don’t agree with the implication that it is only power and not about sex. In fact, I think consensual sex, too, is very often “about power.”

it seems that rape is really about fear and envy that turn into anger and hate.

I thought you just said it was about power?

I don’t disagree with your ideas, only with the way you’ve stated it as though there were one single motivation of rapes.

So what was supposed to be the motivation in _I Spit on Your Grave_?

Again I am wondering if the apparent motivation of the fictional rape in the film matches what people would consider to be a true motivation in real life. In the broader sense, is the nature of rape in “these kinds” of films presented as different than it really is?

Your film gods: Lee Van Cleef and Laura Gemser
Chili-P

[–] iheartnormi 10 years ago

I'm not really sure what makes men want to rape women. In jail when men rape other men I'm pretty sure its a power thing rather than sex. You have to be pretty sadistic to want to have sex with some who is in pain and you are getting off on that I think imo that in most cases rape is a power thing, but there are sadistic people who want to do it for sex. I think in this movie it was about both power and sex. I mean these guys aren't exactly gentlemen. They were eyeing her up and down like a piece of meat from the get go. When Matthew the mentally challenged kid comes back from her house after plumbing and they begin to devise a plan referring to her as a bitch and city whore. Was that an attempt to justify them raping her? In their minds an independent woman= bitch or city whore.

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[–] itsmeriaz86 10 years ago

People always tell that rape isnt about sex,but its about power,hatred towards women etc...

But I would say its *beep* Rape is all about sex when done without conscience...

Human beings need sex...For eg,2 days ago,I saw a beautiful woman..She was incredibly sexy and I thought of her till I reached home...

Do I want to have sex with her??? Yeah,its a primal desire for every human to have sex with someone they find attractive...If I do find her somewhere else,I might try to ask her out...

But would I force her to have it??? I wouldnt do that.. Why?? Because I feel that I dont have the rights to do against someone who doesnt it...

Some men dont have that conscience in them and want to do it no matter what... Its similar to a mugger killing you just to get ur wallet..

Some men do want to rape but are afraid what will happen if they get caught...Thats why these men wanted to kill her after that so that she will not tell anyone...

There are numerous instances in history where the victorious army has raped the civilians of the enemy country...Why??? because they dont have to worry about any law during war times...

In short,rape happens when a man/woman wants to have sex but doesnt worry about how he gets it

[–] Verdugo85 9 years ago

Because they thought that she was a stuck up biatch from the city who was too good to be dealing with bunch of local scumbags. So raping and assaulting her was their way of getting back at her.

[–] kreptre 9 years ago

Honestly, they raped her for the sake of giving her a reason to kill them. Its so over the top that its unbelievable. We're literally made to hate them so we can sympathize with the woman, but I don't even think rapists are that rapey.

[–] Brookiee124 9 years ago

It was definitely about power but also about punishing Jennifer and "putting her in a woman's place." Jennifer represented an independent woman; she had a great career, made her own money, was single, etc. Contrast her with the only other female in the film; the sheriffs wife who is a pregnant, barefoot housewife.

There was a whole scene where the guys were telling Johnny that Jennifer would never sleep with him because she was "too good" for him and high-class. He was also threatened because Jennifer kissed Matthew, and that offended Johnny because Matthew is mentally handicapped.

When they are raping her, they constantly call her a show horse (a possession). They make a point to humiliate her into submission.

They wouldn't have included all those things in the film if it were "just about sex." These are lowlife hillbillies from the backwoods of Louisiana, they didn't like that a woman could "outrank" them or be better than them. They needed to take away her power to assert their own.