Key themes for both films

The American dream: Badlands- Kit bases himself on James Dean and he wants to be famous like him, if he cant be an actor he wants to be an outlaw, but not as big as he is in the end, also he doesn't have a good job and he also cant keep them for long, first he is a duct bin man then he works on a cattle ranch. When he goes to see Holly's Dad he tries to fill the hole in the board the father is painting. Also Holly's house is a nice white picket fenced house.









Natural Born Killers- Mickey wants to be an outlaw and he states that his competition is Charles Manson. Also when you 'firstly' meeting Mickey he is a butcher boy.

Dysfunctional family: Badlands- Holly comes from a one parent home because her mother died 10 years before. When Holly goes against her father's wishes which is stay away from Kit, he shoots her dog.

Natural Born Killers- Mallory's family is more dysfunctional because her father rapes her and her mother doesn't help her. Also Mickey comes from a dysfunctional family because he had a violent father who also committed suicide in front of him in some fields.

Rootlessness:

Fairy-tale: Badlands- When they are living in the woods and it is just them and it is like domestic bliss. Also when they are dressed up in the rich people's clothes when they are trying to act like a posh couple while leaving.

Natural Born Killers- Their wedding on the bridge, when they cut their hands so their blood mixes and falls in the water 'we'll be living in all the oceans now'.

Animalistic nature: Badlands- When they are living the woods Malik shows a lot of close ups of insects and wood to show that their behaviour at this point and from now on is animalistic.

Natural Born Killers- Mickey and Mallory are shown as rattle snakes in different scenes also Mickey has rattle snakes in a heart as a tattoo, and their wedding rings are snakes. Then when they do something that they see as bad the rattle snakes attack them.