Lexa Louis – Opinion Columnist

TW: Mental Health, Self-harm, sexual assault

I think more movies should be created to shed light on issues in the world. If it is based on a true story, it may add power to the message. Even if it isn’t based on a true story, it helps create change. When people come together in larger numbers, positive change takes place. Some movies that have displayed prominent issues in the world are Promising Young Woman, Hidden Figures and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Although movies like these can be very difficult to watch, they have a positive impact. Promising Young Woman is a movie that deals with sexual assault and the corruption of large institutions. When Cassie’s friend is taken advantage of, she wants to hold everyone involved accountable. Along the way, she faces obstacles from her past friends. I thought this movie portrayed how a situation like this can happen in the real world well. Cassie’s old friend Madelyn belittled the case. The perpetrators got away with their actions throughout most of the movie, until they were arrested at the end. The ending of the movie is emotional. This movie reflects how cases like this can be improperly dealt with.
Hidden Figures is a movie about three African American Women who work at NASA. They face racial and gender obstacles. It portrayed racism, inequality and how women were treated in the workplace. These issues still exist today. This is an empowering movie for women, and it shows a moment in history where major improvements were made in the workplace. A great quote from Hidden Figures is, “It’s not because we wear skirts. It’s because we wear glasses.”
The Perks of Being a Wallflower displays how mental illness can impact someone’s life in and outside of school. Charlie develops PTSD because his best friend comitted suicide in middle school, and his aunt died. Because of this, he became withdrawn, and it was difficult for him to find friends. It displays how it is difficult for students in high school with illnesses to acclimate. I think that kids should be educated on these topics younger so they can become familiar with them. It is important to be aware of the people around us, to be kind and to be empathetic of others.
Some of the messages these movies projected are to treat people with kindness, to be aware of our surroundings and to be empathetic. We usually don’t know what others may be dealing with, so being open minded is beneficial. Sometimes we make unconscious prejudices about others based on appearance or behavior.
“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another,” Alfred Adler said.
Some of the problems these movies dealt with are inequality, racism and sexism. Having movies that shed light on social issues such as these creates progress within the world. It makes it easier for future generations of people to live. They lessen the stigma surrounding these topics, making it easier to talk about them with others.
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people,” Martin Luther King Jr. said.
Others may say that movies like these shouldn’t be made because they don’t always accurately represent the real world, they can be triggering and they make the issue seem worse than it is.
Although The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Promising Young Woman aren’t based on true stories, these movies are still powerful. The settings reflect the real world even though they are fictional. Hidden Figures is a movie based on a true story, but that doesn’t make it as powerful as a fictional movie. It makes it easier to connect it to the real world. Sometimes fictional movies that deal with social issues don’t entirely reflect the real world.
However, even if they don’t entirely reflect the real world they fulfill the purpose of giving attention to an issue. These movies can be difficult to watch for many individuals that may relate to them or find it uncomfortable. However, the more movies that are made like these will give attention to the issue and diminish it. I enjoyed watching these movies and recommend them.
“Step by step, we will break this cycle of silence, poor information and stigma,” Chevy Chase said.