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Girlhood, Postfeminism and Contemporary Female Art-House Authorship: The “Nameless Trilogies” of Sofia Coppola and Mia Hansen-Løve
Fiona Handyside
Abstract: Both Sofia Coppola and Mia Hansen-Løve’s first three films can be understood as trilogies of female coming of age. These are thematic or conceptual trilogies, declared as such after the fact by their directors, and thus a self-conscious declaration of authorial agency, but the trilogy itself is not given a definitive name. This article explores the complex position these trilogies thus occupy. On the one hand, they testify to the impact of feminist activism and theorising on filmmaking, as they demonstrate the creative power and autonomy of the postfeminist auteur. On the other, they concentrate on narrow, girlish worlds, and remain marked by hesitancy and containment, demonstrating the persistent restrictions for women within postfeminist cultural norms.
