I feel like the only reason people will watch/have watched The Gorge is to see Miles Teller. After Top Gun: Maverick, he seemed to gain a ton of popularity as an actor. Honestly, I liked Top Gun: Maverick. I wanted to like The Gorge too. When I started watching it, I had high expectations.
Unfortunately, however, I’ll probably never watch The Gorge again—at least, I hope I’ll never watch it again. Frankly, the only positive thing about this movie is the lack of a mustache on Miles Teller’s face. (His facial hair situation in Top Gun: Maverick wasn’t great…to say the least.) But the dull plot, slow pace, and unhelpful message of The Gorge made it very difficult for me to enjoy.
Calling All the Girl Bosses
The two main characters in The Gorge are Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy). There’s honestly not much to spoil about this movie, but I’ll try to avoid getting into the plot and simply focus on these two characters. Levi is a serious, cynical young man who agrees to protect the gorge. Although Drasa also protects the gorge (from the other side of it), she’s the exact opposite of Levi. She’s brash and brazen.
In spite of their differences, it doesn’t take long for Levi to fall for Drasa. (I know, I know—such a plot twist.) I think viewers are supposed to like her as much as he does. After all, she’s bold and adventurous, right?
Personally, I found it impossible to like Drasa. While her overall sleaziness definitely bothered me, I was also bothered by the message she sent to women like me. Though she sent this message with her actions (not her words), it came across loud and clear: “If you want to get the guy, you have to be a girl boss.”
Frankly, this message isn’t just stale; it’s false.
A Higher Calling
Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4 NASB1995)
In The Gorge, both Drasa and Levi are portrayed as aggressive, fearless, and resilient. They both protect the gorge. They both shoot the guns. They both kill the evil creatures.
The culture would probably call Drasa a girl boss. After all, she can do anything Levi can do. He apparently finds this attractive and tries to win her heart. He succeeds. She gets the guy—a guy who proves to be incredibly sweet and thoughtful (of course).
Sadly, many Christian girls believe this is how real life works. They buy the lie that they have to be strong, powerful girl bosses if they want to find love. They think assertiveness is attractive, so they pretend they have no limitations.
I’m not saying that girls shouldn’t be confident or independent. I’m simply saying that girls who try to fulfill the role of women and the role of men won’t be able to thrive in either role. (I made a similar point in a post about women whose husbands don’t provide for them financially. These women can’t fulfill their role as wives well because they’re picking up the slack for their husbands.) The “I can do anything a man can do” mantra ultimately holds us back, not propels us forward.
God lovingly and purposefully created us as women. Our hearts matter far more than our physical abilities. He values our gentle, quiet spirits—and men with more sense than Levi value them too.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 