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Seven years ago, James MacDowell (2010) detected a new aesthetic and narrative sensitivity pertaining to American independent cinema, characterized by a balance between ironic distance and emotional sincerity. Since the publication of McDowell’s article, the word quirky became quickly associated with the works of directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson or Michel Gondry, turning into a catchphrase that has been used to describe every film protagonized by eccentric characters, utilizing a perfectionist visual language, and endowed with a certain naïveté in the tone and treatment of pathetic situations. These productions appeal to the sentimentality of a millennial audience that is no longer as cynical or politically engaged as their predecessors; in fact, the narrative and formal transgressions that are typical of quirky productions tend to stay on the surface, never questioning issues of gender, race, or class. In this sense, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl stereotype constitutes a perfect example of the quirky aesthetics; its ambivalent relationship with postfeminist ideologies, incorporating a neoliberal sexual freedom to a traditional performance of femininity becomes a sign of identity rather than a political stance, while the stereotype’s childish look and naive attitude respond to the exaltation of ingenuity that happens in quirky. On the other hand, the fact that typical Manic Pixie Dream Girls such as Summer ([500] Days of Summer) or Ruby Sparks are more defined in terms of their cultural preferences and outfits than by their fears or ambitions also aligns with the postmodern prevalence of the form that characterizes quirky productions. Han pasado ya siete años desde que en 2010 James MacDowell detectara una nueva sensibilidad estética y narrativa dentro del cine independiente estadounidense, caracterizada por el equilibrio tonal entre el distanciamiento irónico y la sinceridad emocional. Desde entonces, la palabra quirky (peculiar en inglés) se ha asociado a las producciones de directores como Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson, o Michel Gondry, convirtiéndose en un adjetivo comodín aplicado a cualquier película protagonizada por personajes excéntricos, dotada de un lenguaje visual perfeccionista, y con una cierta ingenuidad infantil en el tono y en el trato de las situaciones. Estas producciones apelan a la sentimentalidad de un espectador millennial que ya no es tan cínico ni tan comprometido políticamente como sus antecesores; de hecho, las transgresiones narrativas y formales que caracterizan lo quirky nunca llegan al terreno de lo político para plantearse cuestiones de género, raza, o clase, sino que se quedan en la superficie. En este sentido, el estereotipo de la Manic Pixie Dream Girl es perfecto exponente de esta estética de lo peculiar; su ambivalente relación con las ideologías postfeministas (sexualidad neoliberal vs feminidad tradicional) es más una seña de identidad que fruto de un compromiso político, mientras que su aspecto aniñado y su actitud naïve responden a esa ingenuidad buscada de la sensibilidad quirky. Asimismo, la falta de profundidad de Manic Pixie Dream Girls paradigmáticas como Summer (500 días juntos) o Ruby Sparks, definidas más por sus gustos musicales o su manera de vestir que por sus ambiciones o miedos responde al predominio postmoderno de la forma que caracteriza la estética quirky.

Kelly Reichardt is an American independent director, who shoots most of her films in the far West. Yet, her kind of west may not be associated with the American dream fulfilled, or the Gold Rush. The landscapes discussed in the present article, which represent crucial symbols of the western United States of America, are depicted in her films in accordance with realistic principles. Not only does she demythologise the Wild West, but also indicates in hindsight the ramifications of the infamous colonisation inflicted upon the American frontier, whereby nature and culture are still axiologically opposed. While criticising the contemporary West, she draws the map of birthplaces of the American civilisation. Her characters, however, not only seize land on which to settle, but more often than not lose it, and so, when they attempt to find river, they often reach highway, railway, landfill, or a shopping mall. According to ecofeminist theory, the planet Earth is also a home, yet contrary to a literal home (or: a household), where the pater reigns, the new home is centred around caring for and tending to the Mother, that is, both the environment and the Nature epitomised. The anti‐ western‐ ness of Kelly Reichardt’s films is, therefore, concentrated on the criticism of patriarchal system, capitalism, or consumerism, so the interpretations presented in the article are simultaneously social and environmentalist in their character.

Han pasado ya siete años desde que en 2010 James MacDowell detectara una nueva sensibilidad estética y narrativa dentro del cine independiente estadounidense, caracterizada por el equilibrio tonal entre el distanciamiento irónico y la sinceridad emocional. Desde entonces, la palabra quirky (peculiar en inglés) se ha asociado a las producciones de directores como Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson, o Michel Gondry, convirtiéndose en un adjetivo comodín aplicado a cualquier película protagonizada por personajes excéntricos, dotada de un lenguaje visual perfeccionista, y con una cierta ingenuidad infantil en el tono y en el trato de las situaciones. Estas producciones apelan a la sentimentalidad de un espectador millennial que ya no es tan cínico ni tan comprometido políticamente como sus antecesores; de hecho, las transgresiones narrativas y formales que caracterizan lo quirky nunca llegan al terreno de lo político para plantearse cuestiones de género, raza, o clase, sino que se quedan en la superficie. En este sentido, el estereotipo de la Manic Pixie Dream Girl es perfecto exponente de esta estética de lo peculiar; su ambivalente relación con las ideologías postfeministas (sexualidad neoliberal vs feminidad tradicional) es más una seña de identidad que fruto de un compromiso político, mientras que su aspecto aniñado y su actitud naïve responden a esa ingenuidad buscada de la sensibilidad quirky. Asimismo, la falta de profundidad de Manic Pixie Dream Girls paradigmáticas como Summer (500 días juntos) o Ruby Sparks, definidas más por sus gustos musicales o su manera de vestir que por sus ambiciones o miedos responde al predominio postmoderno de la forma que caracteriza la estética quirky. Seven years ago, James MacDowell (2010) detected a new aesthetic and narrative sensitivity pertaining to American independent cinema, characterized by a balance between ironic distance and emotional sincerity. Since the publication of McDowell’s article, the word quirky became quickly associated with the works of directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson or Michel Gondry, turning into a catchphrase that has been used to describe every film protagonized by eccentric characters, utilizing a perfectionist visual language, and endowed with a certain naïveté in the tone and treatment of pathetic situations. These productions appeal to the sentimentality of a millennial audience that is no longer as cynical or politically engaged as their predecessors; in fact, the narrative and formal transgressions that are typical of quirky productions tend to stay on the surface, never questioning issues of gender, race, or class. In this sense, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl stereotype constitutes a perfect example of the quirky aesthetics; its ambivalent relationship with postfeminist ideologies, incorporating a neoliberal sexual freedom to a traditional performance of femininity becomes a sign of identity rather than a political stance, while the stereotype’s childish look and naive attitude respond to the exaltation of ingenuity that happens in quirky. On the other hand, the fact that typical Manic Pixie Dream Girls such as Summer ([500] Days of Summer) or Ruby Sparks are more defined in terms of their cultural preferences and outfits than by their fears or ambitions also aligns with the postmodern prevalence of the form that characterizes quirky productions.