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In the Mountain of the Dragon: Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) has to fight for her survival
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John Wilson / Netflix
If a damsel is in distress because a wolf is chasing her, an evil stepmother is poisoning her, or a fairy is cursing her, then a prince or hunter is needed to save her - but in any case a man. Most of the time a kiss or a sword is enough for him, sometimes both work, Grimms tell fairy tales and many legends.
In the end, the prince is the hero and the maiden is at least not dead. There is no need to explain to anyone that such a fairy tale plot is misogynistic and ridiculous: women are objects in it who have to hope for rescue.
But what happens if the hero just doesn't show up? And he puts the virgin herself in danger?
“Damsel”, a new Netflix fairy tale film, provides the answer; its title is derived from the plot cliché of the “Damsel in Distress” – a “damsel in distress”. Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), as this maiden is called, is already “in distress” at the beginning: her kingdom is poor, the population is starving.
When her father receives an offer from a rich royal family to sell Elodie to the prince, he immediately accepts. And Elodie dutifully accepts the burden of marrying a strange man in a strange land. Until the king's son throws her into the mouth of a huge mountain during a macabre ceremony.
There lives a dragon (a female dragon, as we later find out) who kills three daughters in every new generation of kings. Of course, a man negotiated this centuries-old deal. And if a family's own children are too expensive, poor in-laws are thrown to the monster.
What a beautiful allegory of classism and sexism director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has created. And a survival fairy tale that is fun for adults too. Elodie is not saved by a prince, but by a feeling that Grimm's maidens had to suppress: their anger.
Fight against the dragon
She shaves off her long hair, tears the princess dress, and the metal of the useless crown only provides her with support as she climbs the stone walls. Millie Bobby Brown exposes the rage of her Damsel, she lets her scream, rage, fight Rocky-like against the dragon and the darkness of the mountain, and yes, also against the patriarchy.
Because she quickly realizes - that much can be spoiled - that not only she and all the women before her, but also the dragon woman have been tricked. When Elodie realizes that an entire dynasty is feasting on the deadly oppression of women, her anger does not give rise to resignation - unfortunately a popular female stress pattern.
Instead, the maiden is gripped by a thirst for blood that rarely affects fairytale princesses. Fresnadillo's fable shows how unfortunate this is. And how productive the desire for revenge can be.
Maybe we should think about all the other fairy tales again. What could be said would be to not let frightened women seek shelter with dwarves, but rather to encourage their anger. Cinderella could fight the hierarchical society. Cancel Snow White Pick-me-Girls like her stepmother. And Sleeping Beauty? No longer had beauty sleep, but rather slept as a rebellion against meritocracy, the gender pay gap and unpaid care work by women.
When spinsters are “in distress,” it’s not just evil stepmothers who should be on guard. Entire worlds could be brought crashing down. Or at least the fairytale castle built on the backs of poorly paid workers.