From Patriarchal Discipline to Rebellious Narrative: Classification and Cultural Context of Female Images in East Asian Crime Films

Abstract

This study uses East Asian crime movies as the overall context, selects China and South Korea as representative samples, and explores the narrative position and agency of women under patriarchal discipline. This study constructs a "female initiative spectrum" framework, dividing female images into "The mute", "restricted agents", and "rebels" to reveal the different ways in which agency unfolds in narratives. The study found that Korean crime movies more frequently show women's dramatic transition from passivity to rebellion. Most women in Chinese films are stuck in the middle of the spectrum, and their actions are constrained by law, ethics, and realist narratives. This difference reflects the diversity of cultural structures and gender power configurations within East Asia. This study hopes to provide an effective analytical path for understanding female agency in regional films.