For instance...every kid is going to get hurt at some point in their life, moments of peril and fear with be with them during their adolescence. It really is pointless to hide these moments...in film...from our youth because most likely they have experienced it already, and it provides them a cathartic...outlet, a feeling of safety that these things happen to everyone, and releases the fears of it happening again, the fears of experiencing those emotions. Now, that being said, I'm not talking about the films where kids are being put in violent or abusive situations by adults. No no no. that is not what I am referring to. The films I am referring to are more in the lines of "Stand By Me" although rated R by the MPAA, I would have no problem showing that film to 12 or 13 year olds. That film is quite possibly the best representation of how kids interact with each other and with the bigger world around them. I can say I learned a lot about my own actions and movements after watching that movie.
So...this post is a list, with a small review, of the films from MY youth, that impacted me and the importance I feel they have for the youth of today. An importance I feel is lacking in modern cinema for kids. These films treat kids and their emotions with the respect they deserve instead of talking down to them.
1. Stand By Me:
How great is that photo.
"Stand By Me" is pretty close to a perfect movie. It represents the magic that happens during the twilight of a well used summers day, those golden summers that never ended, moments that carry with you forever. It's honest. The kids are honest. They're vulgar, rude, and simple. Just like they should be. My favorite moment is when the four are around the campfire and they ask each other if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be...and Jerry O'Connell answers..."that's easy...cherry flavored PEZ" It's just such a natural answer.
The language is there...words kids have heard and used before (I had a really rotten mouth by the time I was 11, when you get away with it once...)
But the context and usage never feels gratuitous or out of place. The context in which its used in is wholly natural and never "malicious" but playful and jabbing, not unlike kids today on the school yard.
The narrator does a great job of preparing you for the inevitability of seeing the dead body...and the impact of finally seeing it is no less weighted because of this. It's real and its only for a moment...but it keeps the movie from being just another child romp through the woods, and evokes something far more momentous and important. The emotional maturity that develops in those kids faces is the ultimate moment of the story. But as we've followed them through the journey, when the moment comes we no longer feel that these kids can't handle it. Because the narrator is not only preparing us, but showing us through the situations of the kids, that they will be able to handle it.
There are lessons of friendship and situations shown here that can be powerful tools for kids to mirror their own experiences. Lessons on how to stand your ground, loyalty, and compassion. It shows a great deal about the essence of friendship, and the fluctuation of said friendships. Sometimes people just fade away from each other...and this film says that's life...and that's OK. And that's an important lesson, for kids, and anyone.
Watch this movie with your kids...you may find it will show you something just as revealing as it will them, you might look at your kids just a little bit differently, in a good way.
