Beyond the Frame: Articulating Feminist Sensibilities through Cinematic Language in Mona Lisa Smile (2003) and Yuni (2021)

Abstract

This thesis examines how feminist sensibilities are articulated through cinematic language in Mona Lisa Smile and Yuni. Using qualitative textual and visual analysis, the study explores how narrative structure, dialogue, spatial composition, and performance construct the meaning of gender and agency. The findings show that Mona Lisa Smile expresses feminist sensibilities through intellectual confrontation and institutional debate, while Yuni articulates them through silence, repetition, and subtle acts of resistance within cultural constraints. Despite their different contexts, both films challenge simplified notions of empowerment by presenting agency as contextual, relational, and continuously negotiated. This study concludes that cinematic language does not merely reflect gender ideology but actively constructs and reimagines feminist meaning. It contributes to communication and media studies by demonstrating how film can serve as a powerful site for feminist expression.