Relationships and the Media

[Ginock]

One of my favourite romantic comedy drama films to come out in the last few years was "(500) Days of Summer" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Zooey Deschanel. For those who have not seen it is a time switching chronicle that shows the development of a relationship. There is a lot of artistic license brought into the film but the main thing I like about it is the fact it is very raw. It does not BS as it were and you can tell that the writers knew the material and knew what it was they trying to get onto the screen.

The problem I think at times however is that the media can sometimes incorrectly potray relationships and just how easy they are. If you see adverts for places like Match.com etc it almost can bring in a belief that if you sign up you will meet someone within a matter of minutes and if it works for people thats great, I simply have not found this to be the case.

Do you think that the media either shows a bad or an incorrect portrayal? I know that films are only stories and that they are written the way the are for a reason but do you think that it can be damaging? Has something you have seen in the media altered your perception on relationships?

 

[Aisha]

No movie has ever significantly made an impact on me as to change my perceptions or views on anything. Every single one has to be taken with a liberal dose of salt. But after watching any movie I do like to read up on it and some movies have occasionally made me stop and wonder. Documentaries on the other hand, can be an aid in forming or changing my perceptions on a subject, especially after reading about the topic outlined.
'500 days of summer' was recommended to me by several people, but I didn't particularly enjoy it and so didn't finish watching it. Romance and romantic comedies aren't genres I enjoy, which may explain the bias. But I do believe the issue you raise is valid. Hollywood, or the media as you say, does put a pretty veneer on their depictions of relationships, and some people can be susceptible to accepting that view. I don't believe it's a bad or incorrect portrayal; it's just not one that fully shows most dimensions. Most of the time, I don't have a problem with such a gloss being painted over everything. Films that are accurate and 'raw and do not BS' are just fine but in the end, these are movies. We are watching them for entertainment and for temporary relief from real life. If we wanted to see things exactly as they are in real life every single time, with no imagination added or artistic license brought in, we wouldn't be watching it in the first place.