The first thing I noticed about this narrative here is that it is not done in the same way Lentz describes a 'spectacular action' of a female character transforming from the victim to the aggressor. The story starts off with Rhianna shooting a man in a public space, and goes back in time to slowly unveil her motivation. Because of the way the story line unravels I found it difficult as a viewer to really get that temporary pleasure out of the rape revenge and the violent action taken by the victim at the very start of the video. However I was very happy to see that the video doesn't work to blame the victim or make violence against women look glamorous, instead it makes the viewer fairly uncomfortable.
From Lentz on rape revenge films- "the oppressive conditions which women must endure as women offer a powerful narrative justification for the 'spectacular action' of their violence. These films thus capitalize two-fold on the transgression of a woman stepping into the perpetrators shoes" (378)
In the video Rhianna ends up going out dancing and briefly dances with a man at the club, she eventually pushes him away as he begins to get touchy with her. This scene reinforces a very important and basic point: the choice to be sexual or sensual on the dance floor should not be read as consent for future sexual activity. On another note, unlike many rape revenge films, on top of the deviation from the normal plot line, "Man Down" does not ensure that the viewer will experience the killing with pleasure. However, there is a sense of justification and a strong connection to a history of women in Hollywood taking up arms to vengefully attack.
Throughout the video we get to follow Rihanna throughout her day, she is beautiful, stylish, happy and very personable. We get the idea that Rihanna is a very independent woman, but by the end of the video we realize she is also a rape victim and she adopts the role of the independent aggressive woman who arms herself as a form of liberation and protection. What I really enjoyed about this video was that this rape revenge narrative involved a woman of color rather than the usual white female victim. The video along with the song and lyrics does a very good job of depicting the struggle of making sense out of violence and sexual assault. This is not a mainstream narrative of how to cope, it is the reality of a very common and complex issue, that in many real cases has ended in a violent altercation. Now I guess the question I really have to ask myself here is if this video is just another empowering fantasy about dangerous women. hmmm.
