Our film has a particular focus on the representation of
teenagers, as the main basis of the story is the teenager who is involved in a
high school shooting. In our film opening, Peter, whom is a 17 year old
American teen, is made to seem distant and unnerved. Stereotypically, teenagers
are thought of as being very unsociable, which we wanted to clearly communicate
with the character of Peter. The fact that Peter appears to spend all of his
day sat at a laptop in his bedroom conforms to this stereotype. With the
pressures of school and parents, over the past couple of years, a link between
teenagers and depression seems to have come about. Peter definitely appears
troubled in the opening of the film, due to the fact he has a pin board covered
in newspaper articles about American shooting, clearly showing he has an
obsession with them. Also, he is writing a letter on his laptop discussing the
fact that ‘by the time you read this, [he hopes] to be dead’, conveying to the
audience that he is having suicidal thoughts.
Although the film mainly focuses on the representation on
teenagers, the latter parts of the film also focus on the idea of parenthood,
and how parents can become so determined to look after their children, that
they can miss simple signs of change. Peter’s mother Lacey is a midwife, so her
job is a very important part of her life, but the film explores the idea that
life can get in the way of things, and can cause us to miss things, no matter
how important they are. Throughout the book, and therefore the film, Lacey
wouldn’t be represented as a completely bad person, simply because her job was
of such importance to her. However, she would be represented in such a way that
it would cause all parents to have a hard think about whether they would notice
if their child was depressed or troubled. Lacey would be portrayed in such a
way that she would appear relatable to the adult audience of the movie, as
every parent has moments where they wonder if they really know their children.
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