Fried Green Tomatoes is something of an anomaly in modern film, a de-gayed version of a lesbian classic that still resonates 16 years after its initial release.

The girls spend the summer together gathering wild honey, going swimming at midnight, and — if the subtext is to be believed — falling in love.

The most interesting aspect of the film is the ambiguous nature of Ruth and Igdie's relationship. In the novel, the two women are romantically involved; there is no ambiguity. In the film version, the relationship still plays out like a romance, with all of the clear signs of a love relationship. There is a period of courting, a short absence and then a long span where the two women live together and raise a child together. Despite the lack of love scenes — though there is a food fight that smacks of erotic energy — Ruth and Igdie behave like domestic partners in every way.