Double Feature: The Intra- and Inter-Personal Value of Cinema
For as long as I can remember, television and movies have been a consistent companion in my life. To this day, I get so excited to talk about new (or old) shows or movies that my friends, family, and even strangers have also watched. It has become one of my favorite pastimes, and like me, many people around the world view it in the same way. But why are shows and movies so enticing and does that relate to our identity development?
Many people are aware of the negative influences that cinema has on us, but there is not much literature about the positive influences. For the sake of this blog, TV and movies as a whole will be referred to as cinema. Cinema shapes who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we see the world around us. It offers us role models, through representation of people or concepts that are related to us in some way, and helps define our self-perception, through belonging and escapism. It even shapes our social and cultural understanding by showing us social norms in our own societies and other societies through the globalization of cinema. This influences us to form multicultural identities, which helps us relate to one another.
Nowadays, there are so many genres and subgenres of cinema that touch upon a variety of themes and conflicts. Universal themes like love, justice, redemption, and power engages us on a deeper level. Some of the themes also reflect issues that we face daily, such as political or cultural issues. The internal and external conflict that a character faces in cinema also reflect our lives. Moral dilemmas, emotional struggles, and conflicting desires are all internal conflicts that we experiences in daily life that add to our own development. There are three main external conflicts: person vs person, person vs society, and person vs nature. Person vs person conflict helps these characters foster rivalries and other relationships which builds their character. Person vs society conflict addresses broader themes about societal norms and cultural expectations. Person vs nature conflict deals with environmental forces, like natural disasters. These three types of external conflict reflect what we experiences in reality.
Furthermore, what we watch as we grow up mirrors Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. In the early childhood, play age, and school age periods, often what we watch are animated cinema that touch upon the sense of trust, problem solving, play, and communication associated with accomplishing tasks. Take Bluey, for example. Bluey is an Australian tv show that has showcases a family of dogs navigating everyday scenarios that a family in real life would face. Bluey and her sister, Bingo, with the help of their parents, learn how to express and understand emotions, cope with challenges by thinking outside the box, and develop life skills and values.
In adolescence, the challenges we experience shift. Instead of learning to problem solve and communicate, we focus on societal expectations and exploring our sense of self. A huge category of cinema that addresses identity and self-exploration is anime. Anime, short for Japanese animation, is a broad category that includes genres such as action or shonen, romance or shojo, fantasy, and more. Generally, the animes that are geared towards the adolescent age group, delve into identity themes. For example, Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, and My Hero: Academia, are all shonen animes where the main character is trying to find their own path or own sense of self, while also tackling society’s expectation of someone like them. The beauty of anime is that each anime has its own way of showing a theme, even if it is the same theme. The theme of identity is not only shown in shonen anime because other genres of anime also address it. Other genres of anime, such as Haikyu, a widely popular sport anime, also explores themes of identity as it relates to self-discovery and perseverance.
In adulthood, we are focused on creating and maintaining relationships, engaging with the next generation, and contemplating our lives. Genres that address moral exploration and complex themes are generally what adults consume. However, this is where things become a little more ambiguous in terms of cinema. While there is cinema targeted towards each stage of adulthood, often adults may watch cinema geared to a different age group. A good example of this would be superhero fiction. Originally superhero fiction was made for younger audiences, but overtime, adults started consuming this genre for various reasons.
As adults, I believe we often get sucked into the mundane responsibilities of living in a society and forget our inner child, who may have not been able to experience the joys of being a child. Superhero fiction, amongst other genres of cinema, allow adults a form of escapism, nostalgia, and relatability, something that may not come up in adult-targeted genres. This is the case with the two examples previously mentioned. With the rise in popularity of anime, more adults are starting to watch animes targeted towards adolescents. While Bluey is targeted towards children, parents and caregivers also take away from the show on how to communicate with their child, amongst other things.
In whatever stage of life we experience, cinema has an impact on us. As children, we long to learn; as adolescents, we long to rebel and explore; as adults, we long to feel a child-like wonder again. While we all know the negative impacts from consuming cinema, we can also appreciate the many ways in which it connects us on an intra and interpersonal level. On a personal note, I have deeply connected with anime as it has shaped me not only as a young adult, but also as a clinician. Whether I utilize the themes of the show or simply mention a popular title, it has a way of connecting me with my clients. Cinema allows us to explore our relationships with ourselves and others, which contributes to a deeper understanding of who we are. That’s the beauty of cinema: character, community, and connection.
