Lovers on the Lam genre comparisons

Natural Born Killers

Themes typical of the lovers on the lam genre:

- Animalistic nature - scorpion tattoo and animal shots

- Dysfunctional family - Mallory's abusive father and Mickey's background

- Rootlessness - Mickey and Mallory running away from society and always moving

- Media obsession - the way the media manipulates people's views on society and glorifies violence. 

Badlands

Themes typical of lovers on the lam genre: 

- Animalistic nature - Dead animals, including Holly's dog and fish; living like animals

- Dysfunctional family - Holly's mother died, shooting of her father

- Rootlessness - Prairie and on the road

- Modern fairytale - the way Holly and Kit come together

- Fame - Kit wants to be remembered and records his voice

- American Dream - American colours often used through nature imagery

Conventions and messages of the genre

The lovers on the lam genre addresses problems in American society in the times the films were made. Despite 'Badlands' and 'Natural Born Killers' being made years apart, they reflect the same problems in society and while on the surface, society may have changed with the influence of violence, the media and perhaps films and video games, the deep-rooted issues remain the same and these films address them. 

How far do the American films you have studied for this topic express similar messages and values to one another?

• The animalistic nature of the characters is always emphasised. This happens in 'Natural Born Killers' when there are close-ups on the mise-en-scene of animal to represent the characters' nature. This is further accentuated by the mise-en-scene of Mallory's scorpion tattoo and snakeskin bra in the opening sequence.