Movies Beautification
Spending my time mostly on the internet, I have seen a lot of critiques on social media about movies and series that are accused of promoting morally-incorrect ideas such as body shaming, teenage pregnancy, sex before marriage, teenage suicidal, abortion, and many others. The latest one must be the heated debate on the upcoming movie “Imperfect” by Ernest Prakasa, which many are claiming the movie as “stating that girls with curvy body and curly hair are imperfect”, saying it is a direct mocking to girls with such features.
Another example comes from the Indonesian movie “Dua Garis Biru” by Ginatri S. Noer (a movie I personally love dearly!). Some were debating whether this movie would be suitable for the young generation since it was glorifying sex before marriage (which puzzled me since I don’t see the movie “glorifying” it). The same deliberation also happened to the series “13 Reasons Why” for encouraging teenage suicidal and the movie “Parasite” for justifying crime and murder.
The way I see it, I don’t see movies or series as a way to advocate morally-correct ideas and to condone the current acceptable norms. Sometimes, moving picture is about the status quo, the reflection of how society is like right now. If our society is fucked up, then movies should show it without beautification.
It is not the creators’ responsibility to make sure the morally-correct value is successfully delivered because the audience will have their own interpretation anyway. Unlike educational contents that are able to put a clear line between what is right and what is wrong, the value of a movie cannot be decided as easily as that. It all goes back to who the watchers are, their stories, and their beliefs.
The way you see a movie will also affect your interpretation. Do you see a movie as “ a source of entertainment”, as a castaway from the hectic world you are currently living in? Or do you see it as a medium that can make you feel something, feelings that you cannot get in real life? Or as a lesson, which will provide you wisdom in order to be a better and “rich” person? Motivation to watch a movie can vary a lot and it is impossible for movie-makers to fulfill each of them, which is why a movie should not be made to satisfy the consumers because consumers will never be satisfied.
Movies should be about feeling, expression, idea, and reflection. Pressuring movie-makers to conform to the norms or to the beliefs of a certain audience, means stopping them from exploring what they want to express. Let them make what they want! The filter is on us anyway.
