Are the TV show and movie makers really paying attention to what’s going on? Is anyone truly listening? If so, please know that my heart (along with countless other hearts out there) ache for more life-affirming programming. Seriously, we long for it to the point of tears.
Enough of cynical comedies and other genres about dysfunctional and extremely self-centered narcissists! Enough of movies and shows that keep getting increasingly graphic and violent (with not only people, but animals and other living beings), trying to get a rise out of the audience! [SPOILER ALERT:] One recent example is the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts series. What started as whimsical and magical fantasy (in spite of its dark side) culminated in a dismal tale that’s a far cry from family entertainment. This series has certainly devolved from the episode where Hagrid, Harry, Hermione and others went out of their ways to save the life of Buckbeak the Hippogriff (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) to the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore movie, where a magical creature called Qilin is killed right after giving birth to twins. One of her babies is even more violently and graphically killed (her throat is slit and she’s laid down on the ground, in a pool of her own blood); she is later magically and temporarily revived to be used in an evil plot, after which she dies again. In the second movie of the series (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), there was also a scene where a toddler and his parents were summarily killed to vacate a home for the big villain, Grindelwald. Both instances caught me by surprise and were disturbing to watch (although the toddler’s murder isn’t openly shown); that really felt like crossing a line to me, especially for this kind of movie. This is hardly what I’d call entertainment, and I can’t help asking myself if it’s necessary to go this far and thinking about the kids watching this movie...
Some may try to dismiss these concerns, especially when it comes to fantasy characters created with CGI. “They’re not even real,” might be the argument. That argument might have stood a chance in the olden days of stop motion and other more primitive technical effects; but that hasn’t been the case in a long time. These CGI characters look real, feel real and deliberately display behaviors that are meant to make the audience emotionally connect with them. And you know what? You can’t have it both ways: Creating characters that real for effect, and then dismissing or ignoring the effect it does achieve. Plus, the main principle remains; in this case, the display of animal cruelty, which can be (and is) easily projected to real living beings.
My brother Ivan is 13 years my junior and a bigger movie buff than I am. In spite of being from a younger gen, he feels the same about this issue. Ivan mentioned the following, in relation to the second Jurassic World movie: “Even though they're dinosaurs and 100% CGI and long extinct, the emotions felt real when the volcano was blowing up and the dinosaurs were dying; and when they were incarcerated and scared. Blame it on CGI being so realistic nowadays that you forget they're not real. I agree 100% it's time to refocus on meaningful story telling, character depth and arc [archetypes]. They don't know how to do that anymore... CGI went from being an appetizer to becoming the whole buffet, giving us CGI indigestion. Many movies rely way too much on it, which means that character development and story line now take a back seat.”
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t watch only comedies and rom-coms. I’m into a good action movie; especially if it’s sci-fi/fantasy involving superheroes (and not too dark or violent, like some of the Marvel movie co-productions such as Logan, or most of the DC movies; I actually stopped watching the second Suicide Squad movie after the opening scene, when the Savant character kills a bird with a tennis ball). I also love a good drama based on a true story, even when it’s hard to watch. I’m just sick and tired of the exploitative escalation of violence and dark, heavy stuff. How about some accountability for the kind of mentality this trend is helping develop in our kids? How about taking responsibility for the heavy energy of violence and aggression the “entertainment” industry constantly spews into the world, adding to what’s already there? Do we really need continuously escalating versions of the same negative stuff? Read the room, please.
The great majority of people out there are not on a power trip of some kind; they’re just trying to figure it out. Show us more about real people with real struggles, who are trying to do their best as they find themselves in this crazy, insensitive world. Real people from all walks of life and degrees of attributes and typicality, in their life-affirming journeys.
By the way, life-affirming doesn’t have to mean cheerful, fun, happy. On the contrary, it can mean sad, challenging, heart-wrenching, even; but it focuses on the beauty of life and its contrasts through the main characters’ willingness to courageously find themselves, no matter the cost. “Positive” doesn’t always mean that things go well. It means that there’s a willingness to try to make the best of what life brings you. Life-affirming can include the good, the bad and the ugly... with a truer, more realistic sense of hope (and with much less graphic violence and cruelty; we get it, you don’t have to rub it all over our faces).
These journeys may also include dysfunctional and narcissistic characters such as crazy ex’s, spoiled teens, tyrannical bosses, aggressive bullies, clueless system enforcers, etc; however, the focus should be on the main character or characters facing their shadows and managing to grow, after having come to terms with and acknowledged the worst parts of themselves.
By uplifting, I don’t mean biased, one-sided religious movies that herald their denomination as the true one and even take the time to dis everyone else’s faith, either. Non-preachy, inclusive, all-encompassing spirituality (as in, believing in something higher than oneself) is more than welcome, however.
One recent example of uplifting programming is the Netflix series Heartstopper (April 2022), based on its namesake webcomic and graphic novel. This show is sensitive, thoughtful, insightful, compassionate, and beautifully executed, with excellent young actors that share great chemistry. This British series conveys the kind of sensitivity and depth of character development that we find in movie classics such as Billy Elliot. The folks at Netflix are obviously doing a better job than most of the entertainment industry by paying attention to current trends; consequently, Netflix has become a main stream pioneer in producing or acquiring high-quality groundbreaking, smart or lighthearted shows and other programming, such as Atypical, AJ and the Queen, Never Have I Ever, The Queen’s Gambit, and Master of None, among others. FX also gets an honorable mention for up-close-and-personal dramedy shows like Better Things; so does Amazon Prime for One Mississippi and Hulu for Life & Beth.
In spite of the note-worthy examples mentioned, it’s still slim pickings out there. So I’d like to say it again: More of that, please. If the successful ratings haven’t made it obvious enough, I (and many others) really want to see more of these kinds of TV shows and movies; and I want the same for every kid, grand kid, great grand kid out there. They (and all of us) deserve to have access to quality programming that’s not boring and/or cheaply produced. Life-affirming: What a hopeful, promising choice to make.
Final Thought: I decided to do a search for uplifting movies on Amazon Prime to see what would happen. The search yielded a solid list (although far from enough, for my taste; and many of them were lower-budget, off-mainstream movies and shows). But what does that mean? It means that, while having to deal with a long-term global pandemic, social-political unrest, a surging economic crisis, a constant overload of negative information, endless personal challenges, and stress and pressure from all ends, the heck of a whole lot of people are specifically searching for movies that are uplifting! Again, is anyone listening?
© Gisele Marasca-Vargas; 06/03/22
thefunctionalperfectionist.com
DISCLAIMER: Although I’m a movie and TV show buff, I’m not a professional critic; so I apologize if I left out other shows worthy of being mentioned. I’m just a viewer seeking quality entertainment and, on a broader sense, a human that longs to see our universal need for true connection, positive change and redemption reflected more often in what we consume as entertainment...
Photo by Edward Howell on Unsplash
References:
What Is the Negativity Bias?
The Power of No
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