A Brief Exploration of Green in Lesbian Films

Abstract

Over the past decades, there has been a notable increase in feminist-themed films. The inherent feminist characteristics of sexual minorities, especially the lesbian community, provide valuable insights for the study and creation of feminist cinema. The color green acts as a bridge, firmly linking lesbian with feminism. The article begins with a review of the artistic application and symbolism of red and green, tracing their historical connections. Subsequently, it conducts an in-depth analysis of five films - Carol (2015), The Handmaiden (2016), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Beanpole (2019) and Green Night (2023), examining them from three screenplay perspectives: subject, character, and structure, identifying their commonalities. Finally, this article concludes that, in addition to the traditional role of green in painting where it neutralizes red and highlights mutual contrasts, green in these films also functions to catalyze the relationship between the two female protagonists, imbue characters with both positive and negative color symbolics, and intensify conflicts in storytelling.