REPRESENTATION AND STEREOTYPING IN OUR FILM

Although our film lacks ethnic and class stereotyping, it could be argued that the topics
we cover in our coming of age film are stereotypical to their genre. When watching a
common of age film, it is not a shock to discover that there will be an element
of romance within the story, amongst other typical issues that affect teenagers:
alcohol, drugs and their relationships with those people around them. We have conformed
to this stereotype of our genre by exploring the issue of having a mother alcoholic and
lack of a fatherly figure, and the impact that this has on their child. In portraying this
stereotype, we have arguably conformed to the view that every story containing an
alcoholic either portrays sadness or heroism. This is according to the theorist Richard Dyer.
The representation in our film could also be seen as subverting stereotypes due to
the complicated issues that our character, Clio, goes through and the interesting narrative
that she follows to achieve happiness and solitude. It is not a common pathway that is seen
in our chosen genre.

In terms of gender stereotyping, the narrative end that is not revealed in our trailer
leaves it a mystery as to who the hero of our story is, and therefore it is unrevealed if we
conform to, or subvert the stereotype of it normally being a male protagonist.
Furthermore, our lead character being a female could already be seen to subvert
stereotypes as the role that she has in the film shows how she is responsible for fending
for herself, unlike other films that represented women to be dependent upon other people.

The representation of age in our film conforms to the stereotypes of topics which are
normally covered, both happy and sad. We see Clio going through a break up with her
boyfriend, taking care of her younger brother and debating the idea of running away -
all of these things which are relevant predominantly to their age group.