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https://studentshare.org/other/1418572-depends-on-the-movie.
Gender, Representations, and Culture Each person endures birth and death alone. Therefore during entire life it is instinctive to surround yourself with as many close people as possible. We meet each other, start dating, fall in love, get married, have children, and create strong and friendly family. All these combine into one of the numerous aspects that form the most desirable human estates called happiness. Lately modern society has stopped to criticize unusual marriages and unconventional families, emphasizing the fact that it is absolutely does not matter what kind of person you choose to spend life with.
The most crucial query is your comfort and preference, disregarding common stereotypes and prejudices. This main idea is set forth in rather extraordinary movie The Kids are All Right by Lisa Cholodenko, which tells the story about untraditional married couple. With a help of artificial insemination, Nic and Jules have managed to build full and amicable family, raising two children, eighteen-year-old Joni and fifteen-year-old Laser. The stated movie shows the availability of alternative ways of reproduction, implying today’s solutions and possibility to have kids in same-sex union.
The statement of Paul Hatfield, a donor that appears in family’s life so abruptly, saying, “I loved the idea of helping people, who were in need” (Horowitz, 2010), accentuate mutual assistance and support, which people have to give each other more frequently. Though in nineteen-year-old age Paul’s intentions, obviously, could be called mercenary, because he admits the role of maternal factor, however, being a grown-up person, Mister Hatfield realizes the importance and nobility of his deed, calling to follow his example.
Relationships within the family seem to be quite ordinary. Being too serious and demanding all the time, Nic plays the role of the head that makes decisions and gives pieces of advice. In contrast, Jules is more feminine and calm, she is accustomed to obey Nic and suppress her fits of anger or indignation. Gradually everlasting Nic’s perfectionism and criticism, lack of her support and believe in spouse’s new business, job matters and absence of time and attention from Nic intensify relations between women drastically.
Jules, feeling drifting away, gets interested in Paul, who appreciates her talent and beauty. When their affair reveals itself, this brings considerable shock and pain to Nic and tremendous discord to the entire family. Consequently, despite that in the mentioned movie we can see unconventional marriage of two women, the problem of betrayal’s reasons is represented quite typically. The whole situation of depreciation and absence of proper care between spouses is wide-spread and even popular in marriages, in spite of sexual orientation.
The stated movie describes today’s attitude to untraditional families in a full way. Thus, if formerly the homosexual liaison was hidden, condemned and prohibited, nowadays people stop to pay attention on each others preferences. When two people, no matter what sex they have, love spending time together and feel comfortable with each other, then why their connection should be considered as shameful or disgraceful? Today many people start to understand privacy and alter own judgments. Same-sex marriages have become officially allowed in specified countries.
Children, born in unconventional families, accepted by their peers equally, as it is shown in the movie. Therefore it is relevant to say that modern society has become more liberal. It develops rapidly, changing old stereotypes and giving people freedom of choice and own predilections. Culture along with representation of gender has begun to display itself less prohibited and suppressed. It is fair to mention that children of two women’s family are well-bred and very considerate to their parents.
Thus, when Laser suggests Joni to find their biological father, the girl has doubts and does not give her consent at once, being afraid to hurt moms’ feelings. Nic and Jules try to bring up and educate their kids as good as possible. They worry about Laser’s friendship with Clay, asking their son, “Do you think he is the kind of person who’s going to help you grow?” (Horowitz, 2010). All four characters create a full and strong family with its relationships, understanding, conflicts and love.
They have to endure natural and rather common problems, such as Joni’s removal or Jules’ unfaithfulness. But when we see Nic’s and Jules’ clenched hands in the end of the movie, there is no doubt that two women “are going to get through this” as Nic has mentioned after Paul’s arrival (Horowitz, 2010). And the reason of that truce is the power of unity and respect that helps to fight against all judgments and obstacles. References Horowitz, J. (Producer), & Cholodenko, L. (Director). (2010). The kids are all right [Motion picture].
United States: Focus Features.
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