Rethinking Noir

Gender, Power, and Transnational Comparison in Asian and African Film

Bibliographic Data

ID21667095
AuthorsJeongseong Lee (0000-0002-0309-7675, Jeonbuk National University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume42
Issue2
Pages249
Publication date2026-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Women (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1225-925X • E-ISSN: 2586-5714
PublisherXMLink (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.64446/aw.2026.6.42.2.249
OpenAlexW7166740127
LanguageEN
References cited19

This article examines the complex interplay of gendered power and agency within femaleled noir from the Global South as an iconic mood in the field of cinema.Through detailed analyses of Miok (2017) and King of Boys (2018), this research argues that whilst these films contributed to diversifying the noir tradition, they remain deeply intertwined in patriarchal structures in which female authority is granted and subsequently withdrawn through maternal role and is subject to institutional discipline and punishment.Integrating feminist film theory with social norms analysis, this article examines how gendered expectations are constructed, enforced, and occasionally resisted, employing framework of norm targets, drivers, and beneficiaries.By repositioning Asian and African noir within a comparative framework, this research conceptualises noir as an adaptive transnational discourse that articulates universal patterns of gendered oppression and distinct local anxieties.Ultimately this paper reveals the complex boundaries and limited possibilities for female empowerment in contemporary non-Western noir cinema

East Asia · South asia · Transnationalism · Cinema and Media Studies · Crime and Detective Fiction Studies · South Asian Cinema and Culture

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