Introduction
Each of the three movies, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Babadook, and Y Tu Mamá También, challenges in a different way the ideas and morals of mainstream filmmaking. They are a breakthrough from contemporary film standards, especially those that are from Hollywood. These movies defy established cinematic clichés and provide alternate viewpoints on societal conventions and societal expectations by depicting outsider characters and delving into more complicated issues, providing insight into them.
There has consistently been an interest in characters that are distinct from the usual, from the initial periods of Hollywood to the present. These individuals are frequently portrayed as outcasts that pose a danger to society or serve as amusement. The characters are usually denoted as “Outsiders,” and the three films have developed and used them as they try to portray a certain message to the audience. In this essay, I will examine one scene from every one of the three movies that question the messages and principles of mainstream filmmaking. I shall also be providing commentary on the similarities in the way the Outsider is represented in the three films.
Challenging the mainstream media
A Girl Goes Home Alone at Night is a distinctive interpretation of the vampire genre that challenges the conventional depiction of vampires as alluring, strong, and enigmatic. The main character of the movie, simply referred to as “The Girl,” is a vampire who resides in a tiny Iranian village and preys on men who treat women disrespectfully, killing and draining them of their blood. A young gentleman named Arash is confronted by The Girl in one scene as he laments the passing of his drug-addicted father. The Girl comes up to Arash when he is the only one in his car and presents him with a joint. As they dance and sing along together, they enjoy a private seemingly erotic moment (O’Malley, 2014). By portraying The Girl as a sympathetic figure looking for companionship and relationship, this scene confronts the stereotype of vampires as malevolent and predatory creatures that are usually alone and destitute. Furthermore, by making The Girl initiate the contact and show her sexual agency, the scene contradicts preconceptions of gender roles in popular cinema, which usually have the man initiating contact with the woman. Contrarily, popular vampire movies frequently present vampires as rapacious, hypermasculine characters who use their magical abilities to attract and manipulate women, for their benefit. For instance, the male vampire Edward Cullen is presented in the Twilight series as a gloomy, menacing character who seduces the adolescent protagonist Bella Swan into a thrilling but risky romance. The vampire has always been seen as a literary and theatrical embodiment of the hypermasculine paradigm due to his supernatural strength, fatal allure, and penetrating fangs, that they use to draw women to them (Bealer, 2013). By introducing a female vampire who assumes charge of the circumstance and leads the interaction on her grounds, this scene from A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night questions these gendered power dynamics.
The Babadook questions how parenthood and mental illness are portrayed in conventional horror films. The narrative of Amelia, a single mother who struggles to raise her problematic son, Samuel, is depicted in the movie. Amelia’s mental state worsens throughout the course of the movie, and The Babadook, a terrifying spirit, begins to haunt and torment her. In one scenario, the demon takes control of Amelia, and she hurls her son across the room, wanting to kill him for being a thorn in her existence, always nagging her and making her life hard. This sequence highlights the difficulties and difficulties that moms endure in child-rearing while challenging the idealized picture of motherhood in mainstream cinema. In contrast, moms are frequently portrayed in popular horror movies as devoted caregivers who would do everything for their offspring. For instance, Rachel Keller, the lead character in the movie The Ring, endangers her precious life to protect her child from the evil and cursed videotape, when she realizes that they have seven days to live and that a demonic presence means to harm her and her child (Farley, 2022). The idea of the film, the Babadook, depicting a woman who is struggling to handle the demands of family and whose mental illness is presented sympathetically and nuancedly in this scene from the film, challenges these traditional representations of motherhood, depicting it as challenging and sometimes stressful to the mother.
The image of adolescence and sexuality in popular cinema is questioned in Y Tu Mamá También. The movie follows two young men named Tenoch and Julio as they travel by car with an elderly woman named Luisa. The trio explores the complexity of love and desire through a string of sexual interactions as they travel through Mexico. Tenoch and Julio talk regarding their sexual encounters and boast about their victories in one scene in the movie. As Luisa overhears their chat, she becomes enraged and accuses them of objectifying women and turning their moments of intimacy into a pointless kind of pleasure-seeking (Aguilar, 2021). This scenario highlights the intricacy and emotional significance of sexual relationships while challenging the conventional picture of youth and sexuality in mainstream media. Contrarily, popular movies frequently use teenage sexuality as a means of titillation or amusement, drawing viewers in and keeping them glued to the screen. A common coming-of-age movie like American Pie depicts a more conventional and constrained perspective on relationships and sexuality. The majority of the individuals in American Pie are drawn to conventional heterosexual relationships and romantic engagements, sometimes presenting homophobia (Ebert, 1999). The sex scenes here are also used as a comedic tool, and also to provide the audience with eye candy. The scene from “Y Tu Mamá También” presents a viewpoint that is more welcoming and varied than these typical depictions of sexuality and relationships.
Similarities between the outsider in the movies
The three movies all depict outliers who defy social conventions and expectations, notwithstanding their disparate places and genres. Characters who are rejected or alienated from mainstream society because of their identification, actions, or views are referred to as “the Outsider” in these movies. They frequently struggle to fit in and are in disagreement with cultural norms and guidelines. These movies oppose the propensity of mainstream cinema to promote dominant cultural norms by making the Outsider a likable and approachable character, who especially can relate to ostracized audiences. This encourages viewers to examine their preconceptions and prejudices. The significance of compassion and understanding for others who are different from ourselves is one ideological lesson that arises from these films. The significance of compassion and empathy for others who are diverse from ourselves is one consistent ideological theme that arises from these films. In A Girl Goes Home Alone at Night, the Girl preys on disrespectful men, and those that use their power to hurt women. Her actions are typically regarded as unethical and horrible behavior in the Iranian setting. However, the movie portrays her as a multifaceted and compassionate figure who is motivated by a passion to safeguard women. Similar to this, The Babadook challenges the notion that people with mental illnesses are threatening or unstable by depicting Amelia’s battles with mental illness and motherhood with nuance and sensitivity, providing an insight into what might have caused her to act as she did. Lastly, Luisa is an older woman who had intercourse with two teenage boys in Y Tu Mamá También, a conduct that is frequently seen as forbidden and unethical in contemporary society. Society expects older women to keep away from younger men, and those who do that are always judged by everyone. The movie, on the other hand, highlights Luisa’s character’s emotional richness and depth, questioning the notion that sexual relations must follow conventional social conventions.
The scenes offer multifaceted and nuanced characters who question traditional societal standards and outlooks. The films share a common theme of the outsider, portraying characters who are sidelined or outside of traditional social norms, giving them a little sense of power and purpose. These films present a unique viewpoint and contest the status quo, offering a more varied and comprehensive depiction of oddities and themes.
Conclusion
The prevalent cultural narratives about gender, sexual orientation, and personality are challenged and deconstructed in all three movies. The films take a roundabout on how things are presently done in movies, in order to pass a certain message that is different from what the mainstream media passes to people. In order to avoid using stereotypes or clichés, they explore the complexities and intricacies of their figures and present them as real people with interests and desires. Additionally, by portraying outsiders as complicated people who are frequently ostracized by society, they also subvert the notion of the “outsider” as a menacing or demonic figure. These films employ the Outsider principle as a means to champion change and to pass on a message. It also strengthens the relationship between the character and the audience, more like a bond between their experiences. The film pushes the audience to accept and acknowledge the complexity and intricacy of the human experience and to always critique conventional and ingrained myths present in society.
References
Aguilar, C. (2021) When ‘y tu mamá también’ changed everything, The New York Times. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/movies/y-tu-mama-tambien.html (Accessed: April 16, 2023).
Bealer, T. (2013) Guest blog: Revamped – how the Twenty-first century vampire is redefining masculinity, Interesting Literature. Available at: https://interestingliterature.com/2013/02/guest-blog-revamped-how-the-twenty-first-century-vampire-is-redefining-masculinity/ (Accessed: April 16, 2023).
Ebert, R. (1999) American Pie Movie Review & Film Summary (1999): Roger Ebert, movie review & film summary (1999) | Roger Ebert. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-pie-1999 (Accessed: April 16, 2023).
Farley, L. (2022) ‘the Ring’ review: A not-so-scary but perfect horror movie, Collider. Available at: https://collider.com/the-ring-review-naomi-watts/ (Accessed: April 16, 2023).
O’Malley, S. (2014) A girl walks home alone at Night Movie Review (2014): Roger Ebert, movie review (2014) | Roger Ebert. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-girl-walks-home-alone-at-night-2014 (Accessed: April 16, 2023).
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