Freaky and Feminist is a month-long series examining the social and political implications of horror’s most interesting filmmakers.

Even the mildest horror fan has seen this Jonathan Demme classic. Here we follow the story of Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), an FBI trainee tasked with interviewing notorious  serial killer Hannibal “the cannibal” Lecter (the incomparable Anthony Hopkins). Starling is a powerhouse, investigating the serial killer Buffalo Bill all on her own and coming head to head with Hopkins. Despite her bravery and intelligence she faces sexism at every turn, even from Jack Crawford, her mentor at the FBI.

Silence of the Lambs is not a film that puts its politics upfront, and to me that’s part of why the so striking. Starling brushes off the sexism of cops and psychiatrists with a simple grace, allowing herself subtle verbal rebuttals, enough to get the job done but never enough to draw attention.

It’s through these exchanges that Starling establishes her true underlying power as a character who constantly subverts the expectations of both fellow characters and viewers. It’s no surprise that she was ranked the sixth greatest protagonist in cinema by the American Film Institute, the highest-ranking woman on the list.

The most interesting of these moments occurs after Starling and Crawford travel to a Virginia small town to examine a newly-discovered body. In an attempt to assert his power to the local sheriff, Crawford makes a point to say that they shouldn’t talk about the details in front of a woman, leaving Starling alone in a room full of hostile local cops. He turns to her afterword and excuses his own behavior as a social tactic. She shakes her head, “It matters,” she says, “they look to you to see how to act.” The exchange lasts less than thirty seconds, but depicts a scene sadly familiar to any ambitious woman.

The horror of sexism is something we live with every day, but “Silence of the Lambs” flips the script with its subtle yet nuanced take on what it means for a woman to succeed.

Allison Hart