FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: Christian Grey Is Not Real

Fifty Shades Of Grey, it’s not often that so few words can spark so great a societal reaction. And to be honest, it is because of this very reason that I went to watch this film. I didn’t read the books, I didn’t care to. From some great literary soapbox I and many of my friends eschewed it, labelling it ‘trash’ or ‘mummy porn’. My understanding of it was based on pieces of the story I had heard, along with twitter discussions about the subject matter. I saw that people were quick to understand that this book was about BDSM, something they didn’t understand, but weren’t going to judge too harshly.

But I also saw, as the novel gained fame and, ultimately, power, that the world has been quick to decry it as a piece of work that justifies abuse. It is with all this in my head that I decided to see Fifty Shades Of Grey, not because I cared about it as a film but because I wanted to see the audience’s reactions to it. I didn’t plan on accidentally liking it.

Yes, I said that. I said that I liked Fifty Shades Of Grey. What a fiendishly terrible person I must be. But before you jump down my throat, and before I cast light on why I think others might have such an unapologetic hatred for the film, let me make my case.

The Delightful Ms. Johnson

I must admit I had preconceived notions about Dakota Johnson. I made assumptions based on her origin (the daughter of Don Johnson & Melanie Griffith) that she was some Hollywood brat. I also assumed that this was her first film, and the only reason someone as obscure as her got the part was because she was okay with the amount of nudity involved. But I couldn’t have been more wrong and, Ms. Jonson? I am extremely apologetic that I rushed to judgement on you.

The fact is, is that Dakota Jonson is brilliant. She’s sweet and warm, and plays up Anastasia’s innocence without every actually coming across as a doormat. She also deftly communicates Anastasia’s quiet intellect and rebelliousness. She has good comic timing and the scene of her drunken phone call to Christian is the best part of the film, along with it being some of the most impressive drunk acting I’ve ever seen. Dakota Johnson does something special with someone who is not a rich character. She teeters on that line between knowledge and innocence, and never once seems inherently weak or feeble.

So, that is why I liked Fifty Shades Of Grey. Unfortunately what I didn’t like about the film takes up a lot more of my opinion on it. And, as you may have guessed, my dislike stems from the same issue everyone else has: the issue of Christian Grey as abuser. So, what exactly is Christian Grey? Is he the acceptable face of BDSM, or he is a psychologically abusive boyfriend?

The Shady Mr. Grey

To say that this film has a huge grey area sounds like the most awful pun, but it’s true. Christian Grey is hugely problematic as a character. He is two-dimensional and is spun from a very weak idea. The idea being that he is some emotionally confused man who needs the love of a good woman to change him. Well, that’s the idea, but it’s communicated in three different, and conflicting ways.

First we have Christian Grey, The Dominant. When the book first came out one of the first arguments was that he was perverted. But people were quick to realise that this is a way of life that some people simply choose. But the problem is, I don’t think Christian Grey is actually practising BDSM. Sure, on the surface, it looks how we would imagine. He has his contract and his ‘play room’. But I get the impression that in the real world a dominant wouldn’t just pick out someone to be a submissive, and manipulate them into doing things their way. Surely you specifically advertise for a submissive? You look for someone with whom you can mutually enjoy the experience of BDSM. Unless, of course, you are looking for someone who will feel real painful humiliation from what you do to them. And that there, well, that’s abuse.

Our second Christian Grey is an abuser. He pays attention to Ana, but only when he feels like. He stops her from doing things in her own life, and is quite manipulative in getting her to engage in his tastes. Also, I’m pretty sure he breaks into her apartment at some point. All in all, he never quite understands that she is confused and upset, which is weird because sometimes he completely understands her sadness and tries to make it up to her. And this is where we reach the third definition, of Christian Grey as a lover. The film would have us believe that Christian is a man in love. But here again, he contradicts himself, he tells Ana she has had this incredible effect on him, and she has changed him, but then he is disappointed in her when she falls in love with him.

Christian is a huge grey area. He wants Ana desperately, and does things to make her happy, but then doesn’t seem to realise when she’s sad. He says he can’t make love or sleep with her as ‘normal people’ would, but then does it anyway. He’s a ‘by the book’ BDSM enthusiast while also being a man who enjoys psychologically dominating people. But then while he likes to dominate Ana he also seems to like it when she is rebellious. In fact, it appears to be her rebellious questioning that ignites his interest in her in the first place. Who exactly is he? And what does he want?

People will say that this is what an abuser is, a person who is changeable and manipulative. But that’s not it. Christian Grey is not real. The reason he’s confusing is because he’s a twisted up character of a man based on a collection of ideas. People call Fifty Shades Of Grey abuse because of the way he treats Ana, but he’s barely even close to a real person. And to see him as some sort of threat to how female fans of his regard themselves is to give him too much power. Maybe he could have been a richer character, maybe. But Jamie Dornan‘s performance is so static and cold, any hopes for Christian are left by the wayside. I feel bad for Dornan that he was dealt with such a confusing character, but still, he had the chance to turn it down.

The Backlash

The film as a whole is just okay. Kelly Marcel has clearly tried her best to adapt a book which I get the impression is much more controversial than the film, and director Sam Taylor-Johnson has done basically an okay job of making the film interesting to watch. But it’s a mish-mash of badly thought-out ideas that existed on E.L. James’ pages before Marcel and Taylor-Johnson decided to take the project on. Even from a narrative point of view it’s kind of weak. The story never really evolves and you’re stuck in this terrible state of anxiousness, just waiting for Christian to turn on Ana.

I know at this point I should mention the sex scenes in this film, but frankly, they don’t seem very important. I’ve seen sexier scenes to be honest. Ones where the emotion and thrill have been tangible and nudity has been scarce: the build-up to Jack and Karen’s stolen night in Out Of Sight, Mr. Grey (yes, that’s correct) spanking Lee over the desk in Secretary. Now those were sexy scenes, what Fifty Shades Of Grey has is technically accurate nude scenes.

The backlash to this film has been huge. You only have to glance at the film’s IMDb reviews to see the vehemence directed at it. And that’s something that hugely bothers me. It’s become fashionable to hate Fifty Shades Of Grey. I know this because I have seen much worse films than this one. I have seen films that are simply stupid and boring, and I have seen ones where misogyny is accepted as part of course. And in relation to them, Fifty Shades Of Grey is nothing more than a semi-acceptable mainstream stab at BDSM, like 9 1/2 Weeks and Emmanuelle before it. If Fifty Shades Of Grey were really so wholly unacceptable to everyone, then why haven’t we also burnt all copies of The Story Of O? Why haven’t we vilified every film where a woman is victimised by a lunatic?

The fury directed at Fifty Shades Of Grey, I believe, is wildly misplaced. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want to read it or watch it that’s completely up to you, I respect your decision and wouldn’t encourage you to do otherwise. But let me leave you with this thought. From what I can gather people seem to hate the whole Fifty Shades Of Grey franchise because of the simple point that they think it legitimises abuse. But quite simply, it doesn’t. This film is about a girl who falls in love with a messed up guy and soon realises what a complete bastard he is. While Ana is, on some level, abused, she doesn’t stand for it.

The follow up argument would be that women would see this film and be led into thinking that this sort of relationship is acceptable, perhaps falling prey to a real life Christian Grey? Really? What are they lusting after exactly? Ana’s confusion? Her fear? To believe that Ana or indeed the women watching her would somehow see this story as a legitimisation of this sort of relationship is ridiculous. For us to act that they’re not smart enough to know the difference I think is patronising. And while I question why they like these stories, I’m not going to pretend that I know better than them.

Conclusion

Fifty Shades Of Grey was never going to be just a film, it was always going to be a discussion point. But let me try to bring it back to the matter at hand, this film review. This is an relatively okay film. Dakota Johnson, as Anastasia Steele, is interesting and complex (and I look forward to seeing more of Dakota’s work). But the film is essentially plotless, and is unsure of what it wants to say and how it wants to say it. It’s main draw: Christian Grey, is a shallow and vapid character. Played, unfortunately, badly by Jamie Dornan. Overall, there is not much going on in this film but it’s kind of interesting to watch. Sort of like a very sexy perfume advertisement.

As for the Christian Grey as abuser argument? Of course he’s abusive, but he’s also in love, and he’s also a nice guy. How could this be? Because he’s not real, he’s a collection of ideas that sprung from E.L. James’ imagination. Bad men exist in the world and while they might manipulate you into thinking they’re not all bad, I don’t think they’re as convoluted and as hard to spot as E.L. James would have you think. Now, cool off, remember that fictional abusive men have existed before and they haven’t impacted upon the way real women have seen relationships. And they certainly aren’t going to start now.

Did you like Fifty Shades Of Grey? If not, why? Have you seen films similar to this before? How do you think they compare?

(top image source: Universal Pictures)