Dakinis and femmes fatales
Sexuality and fear in contemporary Himalayan Buddhist cinema
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21636106 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ivan Stacy (0000-0002-9812-4196, ISNI: 0000000419370490 Mahidol University International College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 127-142 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian Cinema (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1059-440X • E-ISSN: 2049-6710 |
| Publisher | Intellect (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1386/ac_00093_1 |
| OpenAlex | W7126403130 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
This article explores the association of fear and sexuality in the Buddhist figure of the dakini in two recent films by Bhutanese filmmakers, Dechen Roder’s Honeygiver among the Dogs (2016) and Khyentse Norbu’s Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache (2019). Both films consciously connect the Buddhist figure of the dakini, traditional depictions of which are characterized by overt sexuality, with that of the femme fatale. In doing so, they create a profound sense of ambiguity, with the ostensibly benevolent function of dakinis undercut by fear of seduction and sense of sexual threat. However, both films subvert the trope of the femme fatale and reassert the traditional esoteric but benign role of the dakini. Rather than fear being conquered through rationality, it is precisely fear of the irrational and the sexual that drives the radical personal change that is necessary, in the Buddhist world-view, to progress towards enlightenment
Buddhism · Human sexuality · Irrational number · Movie theater · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · South Asian Cinema and Culture
| Highly cited | No |
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