Saw An Education.
While watching the early scenes where teenage Carey Mulligan and her father Alfred Molina have tense exchanges over where she wants to go, what she wants to wear and how she wishes to behave, it struck me that an awful lot of films used to hinge on similar confrontations. From Billy Liar to Back To The Future, the same drama would be played out over the dinner table. Just as good always conquered evil in these films the fears of parents would always prove groundless. The parents were always out of touch and over-protective; the kids were always alright.
I don't see that anymore. If the kid gets her own way nowadays I feel she's likely to end up sobbing on her parents' shoulder. When did that change? Or is it just that I changed and started seeing things from the parents' point of view?
I think you are right. Maybe 60s parents were overprotective because of the war. The current cultural narrative is that modern life is much more dangerous than the 60s, which is just wrong, and most media seem to want to push that point of view. It could be generational thing - the 60s kids were right, and expect still to be right now they are the parents.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I still think the kids are alright.
I think there's a balance, with social change obviously playing a huge part and also the media manipulating our outlook on kids in this day and age.
ReplyDeletePersonally, being 15 and stubborn , i'm backing the Kids!
Brilliant post though, has got me thinking for the day.
P.S. I'm that 15 year old that rambled on to you in an email about a 'need to write' and I took your advice and set up my own blog. I want to thank you for giving me that push.
Also, being a huge fan (as you know through my E-mail rambles), I really value your opinion and do you reckon you could in any way find the time to take a peek at my blog and tell me what you think? Tell me if you despise it, detest it or feel physically sick just looking at it, whatever you say, i will always value your opinion!
Or is it that the people making the films were, and remain, of your generation, and *they* changed and started seeing things from the parents' point of view?
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