Social Commentary and Realism in Stories (Films)

Realism – a literary genre that depicts subject-matter in a truthful manner. Although, we see that in today’s time films of other genres like fantasy and science fiction turn out to do this more effectively. Sometimes, these films and stories represent several harsh realities of life and that too in a very peculiar, impressive and emotional way, while the actual Realism fails to do the same. And because of this, they turn out to be one of the major aspects which makes a film blockbuster or the cause of having it earn a huge fan base. So here we’re to spotlight some of these problems and situations featured in various films.

Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse & Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse

The realism in this was something that has become a trend today – hiding our problems from the family. Yes! Whether it’s depression, heart break or anything, people cannot share their problems with their family members. On the contrary, our family members themselves may be assumed to be the ones becoming an obstacle in our healing journey. In such a case, the only ones left we can approach to are our friends.

The character Miles Morales after getting bitten by a radioactive spider becomes the new spiderman of his own dimension. Now, just like Peter Parker, he too starts to live two different lives – one as a superhero and the other as an ordinary teenager. His life becomes a completely chaotic and worsens even more over time as his parents are absolutely in the dark about his situation. This is the time when he needs them the most but he can’t even share his problem with them. The same situation was of his friend Gwen Stacy. Putting this simply – their parents couldn’t even imagine what all was going in their lives. The film very beautifully pointed out how parents (should not be said but let’s say it) fail at parenting by not knowing how much space to give to their children and by trying to creep into their personal lives in a very inappropriate way. The film left an absolutely important message for the parents.

Bumblebee

Charlie Watson, a teenage girl living a life I wish no one has to live. Her father had departed from the world. While she hadn’t overcome the pain of this happening and had to make an earning for her home on her own, her mother was busy enjoying her life with her new husband. While all this might be felt unrelatable by most of us, her situation apart from all this could be felt without even putting ourselves in her shoe. While she sold hot dogs at an amusement park, she watched couples of her age being enough romantic to make her … let’s not say it ‘jealous,’ — miserable.

There are times in life when people feel insecure, alone and unworthy of love. As the movie portrayed this scenario, watchers might have felt that they’re not the only ones facing this. That way, the film made an effort to cause the audience to direct themselves in the right direction.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

When it comes to deteriorating the world’s condition, humans contribute to it as much as possible. A look at this film series tells that the Transformers were alien robots inclusive of a consciousness or a soul. An element called Transformium, found on Earth had no usage there until humans discovered that it was the thing those living bots were made up of. They had got dead bodies of some of those Transformers to work and research upon, and its outcome was astonishing – they made Transformers on their own! The prototypes they had made were superior to the original alien species. However, later it was discovered that their-made machines were able to command themselves and weren’t in control of humans anymore. This turned out to be really scary that an upgrade version of robots had been built, and then they were completely out of control of their very own creators! In the attempt to advance their tech, humans had created a nuclear weapon for their own destruction.

In real life too, this is actually what happens. Humans create the things they dread and then see their own fall. While ‘war’ has usually been the theme of the saga, this particular film highlights the meanness and foolishness of the people of this world, and how they blindly carry out the things that shouldn’t.

Avatar

Imagine you live in a heaven-like Earth where all the people around live together peacefully. There are no modern days’ problems, and above all, there are no studies or job to do. Beyond this, you directly communicate with living organisms there, despite whether they are a creature or not. But then, there comes a group of people with machines and bulldozers to destroy it all just for their own welfare.

Film, Avatar illustrates how humans exploit a good livelihood of an alien species just the way they destroyed the flora and fauna of their own world for their so called development. The colonel enjoyed the forest’s burning as though he was watching some fireworks, while there was grief and tears in the eyes of the people of Pandora. I don’t know if humans in reality too enjoyed it that way every time they had taken down a forest, but it’s evident that they were foolish enough for they destroyed not just trees but also many families of animals, unhousing several tribes.

A Bad Moms Christmas

An impeccable Satire ‘twas! Mothers, they always give their best to ensure that an auspicious occasion be special for their family. But when they try to indulge themselves in the enjoyment by doing something for themselves, why do they appear to be selfish? The film very precisely outlined the problems in life of a mother while at the same time pointing towards the fact that how parent(s) turn out to be toxic at times.

‘Insecurities of the people’, ‘an alive kid within the formidable’, that’s what it tried to convey; a message that the elixir of happiness is giving and not just taking; giving others freedom to do what they want, letting them carry out the things the way they wish. It tells us to understand others. By this, we might figure out where we had been wrong and may adapt to the new ways.

Movies, if not all, then most of them carrying some message with themselves irrespective of their genres. Try to observe and figure them out every other time.

What’s your favourite movie? Do tell in the comment section.

Thankyou for reading!