The movie "The Bikeriders" premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival earlier this year, opening up a new perspective on the portrayal of motorcycle clubs in cinema. Directed and written by Jeff Nichols, the film features Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Michael Shannon in leading roles, and it focuses on the rise and fall of the fictional Outlaw Motorcycles Club based in Chicago suburbs over a decade.
The movie follows club leader Johnny (Hardy) as he battles to maintain control over the club and Benny (Butler), an unpredictable member. However, the unique twist lies in Kathy (Comer), Benny's wife, who views the club members as 'idiots' and stands as an antithesis to her husband's deepening involvement with the club and its leader.
Unlike traditional love triangles where two characters vie for a woman’s relationship, this film presents the female character and the club leader clashing over a young man. Despite the heavy undertones of violence and masculine code of loyalty in the club, Kathy emerges as a beacon of strength and resoluteness, solving her problems without the need for a male savior - a stark departure from traditional portrayals of women in such narratives.
The film's director, Nichols, was deeply inspired by a photo-book on a Midwest club by photojournalist Danny Lyon. The love triangle component does not feature in Lyon’s book; it was Nichols's creative brainchild aimed to infuse extra dynamism into the story.
One of the film's achievements lies in its successful flipping of conventional gender roles. Rather than circulating around a woman, the love triangle sees this female character influencing the relationship between two men - offering a narrative critique on American masculinity.
The portrayal of strong, empowered women in biker movies was previously non-existent, with films of the sixties typically featuring them merely as entertainers or companions. However, "The Bikeriders" breaks this mold with Kathy’s character, conducting a deep examination of bikers' psychology through a woman’s perspective, making it a progressive and intriguing watch.
