Precious, the Pregnancy Project and Juno

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Precious, the Pregnancy Project and Juno Portrayal of Teenage Pregnancy in Hollywood Movies: Precious, the Pregnancy Project and Juno Asaah Bih Crystel Submitted to the Institute of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies Eastern Mediterranean University February 2016 Gazimağusa, North Cyprus Approval of the Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Prof. Dr Cem Tanova Acting Director I certify that this thesis satisfies the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ümit İnatçı Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies We certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahire Efe Özad Supervisor Examining Committee 1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anıl Kemal Kaya 2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahire Efe Özad 3. Asst. Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Türksoy ii ABSTRACT The visibility of teenage pregnancy has become a call for concern though it’s not a new issue. Many more young girls are getting pregnant and the reaction to the phenomenon is gradually changing and the girls getting more support and encouragement to move on with their lives from family, friends and outsiders thereby killing stereotypes and exposing challenges. The main aim of this research is to look at the portrayals of teenage pregnancy in Hollywood movies from 2007- 2015 with objectives to find out the challenges before, during and after pregnancy. Three movies (Juno, Precious and the Pregnancy Project) selected from 15 other Hollywood movies on teenage pregnancy will be the focus of the study. A feminist media approach is used for this study to explain reasons why some pregnant teens face problems which include patriarchy, oppression, choices, stereotypes and inequality. Textual analysis was used to collect primary data to understand the content and better explain the messages contained in the three movies (Juno, Precious and the Pregnancy Project) used for the research. Secondary data was collected from books, e-books, online journals and magazines and newspapers to find previous literature related to the topic and to support findings found in the movies used for the study. Stereotypes, patriarchy, oppression and choices are discovered to be issues that serve as both problems and solutions in all three movies (Juno, Precious and the Pregnancy Project).Precious, Juno and Gaby all face various stereotypes and only Juno of all iii three girls freely makes her choices on her life and her baby easily with family support. Gaby (the Pregnancy Project) and Precious (Precious) live in patriarchal societies where they are oppressed and can hardly make decisions. Challenges that run across the movies include regret, frustration, emotions, labor pains, immaturity, stereotypes, disappointment and lack of confidence among others. These findings will help in better understanding of portrayals of teenage pregnancy in movies and the challenges faced by young pregnant teenagers, before, during and after pregnancy. It will also help to find out the importance and consequences of the content of these movies on its audience and the impact it has on their lives. Keywords: Teenage Pregnancy, challenges, portray, feminist ideologies, stereotypes, Hollywood movies iv ÖZ Genç Hamileliğin, her ne kadar yeni bir konu olmasa da, görünürlülüğü endişe verici bir konu hal,ine gelmiştir. Birçok genç kız hamile kalmakta ve bu duruma tepkiler gün geçtikçe değişmekte ve kızlar aile, arkadaş ve dış çevreden yaşamlarına bu şekilde devam etmek, basmakalıpları yıkmak ve maruz kaldıkları zorlukları ortadan kaldırmak adına daha fazla destek ve cesaret göstermektedirler. Bu araştırmanın başat amacı 2007-2015 dönemindeki Hollywood filmlerindeki genç hamile temsillerine bakıp hamilelik öncesi, süresince ve sonrasında karşılaşılan zorlukları tespit etmektir.Genç hamileliği konu alan 15 Hollywood filmi arasından seçilen üç film, (Juno, Precious, ve The Pregnancy Project)çalışmanın odak noktası olacaktır. Neden hamile gençlerin içinde ataerkilik, baskı, tercihler, basmakalıplar ve eşitsizlik gibi sorunlarla karşılaştıkları bu çalışmada feminist medya çalışmaları yaklaşımında incelenecektir. Juno, Precious ve The Pregnancy Project filmlerindeki içeriği daha iyi anlamak ve üç filmin içerdiği mesajları daha iyi açıklayabilmek için birincil derecede veri toplamada metin analizi kullanılmıştır.İkinci veriler kitaplardan, e-kitaplardan, önceki literatürü taramak, ilgili konulara ulaşıp çalışmanın bulgularını desteklemekte çevrimiçi dergilerden, dergilerden ve gazetelerden kullanılmıştır. Basmakalıp, ataerkillik, baskı ve seçeneklerin her üç film (Juno, Precious, The Pregnancy Project) ile ilgili hem sorun hem de çözüm olarak işlenen konular oldukları ortaya çıkmıştır. Precious, Juno ve Gaby, üçü de farklı basmakalıpla karşılaşmakta, üç kızdan sadece Juno aile desteğiyle kendi yaşamı ve bebeğiyle ilgili v seçimleri özgürce yapmaktadır. Gaby (The Pregnancy Project’deki) ve Precious (Precious’daki) baskı altındakilerin karar vermekte zorlandıkları ataerkil toplumlarda yaşamaktadırlar. Her üç filmde de ortak olan meydan okuma, aralarında başka diğerlerininde olduğu hüsran, duygular, doğum sancıları, toyluk, basmakalıplık, hayal kırıklığı ve güven yoksunluğudur. Bu bulgular filmlerdeki genç hamileliğin tanımlamasına ve genç hamile kızların hamilelik öncesinde, süresince ve sonrasında ne yaşadıklarını anlamaya yardımcı olacaktır. İleriki araştırmada, film içeriklerinin izleyici üzerindeki önem ve sonuçlarını ve yaşmlarındaki etkilerini bulmaya yardım edecektir. Anahtar kelimeler: Genç hamilelik, meydan okuma, feminist ideoloji, basmakalıp, Hollywood filmleri vi DEDICATION To my lovely family and daughter Asaah Gloria Formbason who have been my inspiration throughout my studies. This work would not have been successful without you all. I forever remain grateful. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Foremost, I will like to appreciate my supervisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahire Efe Özad for her patience and her guidance throughout my school year especially when writing my thesis. I am gratefully for you always believed in me and encouraged me to be the best. I wouldn’t have wanted a better supervisor. Besides my supervisor, I also want to thank my lecturers Süleyman İrvan, Nurten Kara, Agah Gümüş, Ülfet Kutoğlu Kuruç and Hanife Aliefendioğlu for their encouragement, hard questions and assistance with my studies at Eastern Mediterranean University. Big thanks to my jury members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anıl Kemal Kaya and Assist. Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Türksoy for taking out time from their busy schedules to read, make suggestions and correct my study. My sincere gratitude goes to all the new friends Elega Adeola , Adamu Mohammed, Racheal, Kenneth, Desmond, Onifade, Olabola, Edmund, Esther and my other friends Serratu, Billiet, Chantal, Patou, Zita, Ernest, Carl, Sylvanus, . In particular I am grateful to my special friend Ahmed Zackaria Abdul- Wahid. You all have really being an inspiration to me during my studies at this institution. Thanks for all the help. To my exceptional family the Asaah’s Family my mom, Tashi Mangoh Rose and my dad Asaah Boniface Fru for the sacrifices, love and guidance they have given me since my birth. To my siblings Alex, Armstrong, Brenda, Daniel and Collins and most especially my daughter Asaah Gloria for their unending love and support. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................ ……………………………………………………iii ÖZ ................................................................................................................................ v DEDICATION ........................................................................................................... vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................ viii LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... xiv 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background of the Study .................................................................................... 1 1.2 Motivation for the Study .................................................................................... 8 1.3 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................. 10 1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study ..................................................................... 11 1.5 Research Questions .......................................................................................... 11 1.6 Assumptions ..................................................................................................... 11 1.7 Significance of the Study ................................................................................. 13 1.8 Limitations of Study ........................................................................................ 14 1.9 Operational Definitions .................................................................................... 15 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • July's Slate of Staff Pick Premieres Brings The
    July’s Slate of Staff Pick Premieres Brings the Freedom of Self Pleasure and Self Destruction June 29, 2017 July Staff Pick Premieres Slate Includes “Stranger Things” Star Natalia Dyer in “Yes, God, Yes” and Academy Award®-Nominated Animated Short “A Single Life” (New York, NY | June 29, 2017) Vimeo announces July’s slate of Staff Pick Premieres, with a different one making its global online premiere on Vimeo each Wednesday. Vimeo’s popular Staff Picks channel is curated by a five-person team that highlights the best short-form content on the platform. To check out the Staff Pick Premieres channel, visit https://vimeo.com/channels/premieres. This month’s slate includes “Stranger Things” star Natalia Dyer in “Yes, God, Yes,” a tale of Catholic guilt and teen masturbation from Obvious Child scribe Karen Maine, Academy Award®-nominated animated short “A Single Life,” Joe Talbot’s dark comedy of American idiocy “American Paradise” that premiered at Sundance 2017, and Amalgamated Picture Co.’s “The Privates,” about a mythical radioactive garageband. Advance links to all of the films are available; please reach out to [email protected] to request. July 5th: “Yes, God, Yes” – Comedy (Dir. Karen Maine) Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Alice (Natalia Dyer, “Stranger Things”) has always been a good Catholic, but when an innocent AOL chat turns unexpectedly racy, she finds herself suddenly obsessed with masturbating. About the Filmmaker: Karen Maine co-wrote Obvious Child (2014), which premiered at Sundance, screened at SXSW, Rotterdam, and several other festivals, and was theatrically released in the US (A24), UK (Koch Media), and other markets throughout the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Gillian Robespierre on Getting a Movie Made
    February 2, 2017 - Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts, Film & Video Program. Her first feature, Obvious Child premiered at Sundance in 2014. The film got a nod for the year's "Best Discovery" on iTunes and she won Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review. Her second feature Landline premiered at Sundance in 2017 and was sold to Amazon. She did not vote for Trump. As told to Brandon Stosuy, 2484 words. Tags: Film, Collaboration, Anxiety, Beginnings. Gillian Robespierre on getting a movie made The writer and director of Obvious Child and Landline talks about crisis and sadness in comedy, the importance of collaboration, and why finishing a second movie isn’t any easier than finishing the first. When I reached out to you, I said I wanted to talk about crisis and sadness in your comedy. At first you wanted to go in a different direction, but you changed your mind. At first I was afraid of your question, because I thought it was too early to analyze the new movie, Landline, and compare it to Obvious Child. I’m also so early in my career. I was nervous to explore it, but then sitting with my writing partner, Elizabeth Holm, and my editor, Casey Brooks, talking about comedy, talking about digging out what really matters in this scene, it dawned on me how important crisis and sadness is in my type of comedy, and how it’s important in storytelling.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF (763.96 Kib)
    I SEPTEMBER 11. 2014 ARCADE 9 Prytania Theatre to Feminist Film Series to showcase Miyazaki BY ALEC SCHWARTZMAN PRINT ARCADE EDITOR screen 0 bvious Child Prytania Theatre, the sin- Neighbor Totoro:· Howl's Mov- BY MARICELA MURILLO gle oldest single screen movie ing Castle" and "Castle in the COPY EDITOR house operating in Louisiana, Sky" this fall. will continue its Sunday Night Miyazaki's films all carry a The Newcomb Feminist Film Series will resume with a showing of"Obvious Child" at 7 p.m. Series starting on Sunday. The similar feel to them, often re- Tuesday on the Newcomb Quad. Gillian Robespierre directed the movie which stars Jenny Slate, series highlights outstanding lying on recurring themes col- an SNL alumna, as Donna Stern; a female comedian in her 20s who winds up preg- directors around the world. lecting to create a larger picture. nant after a drunken one-night stand. She ultimately decides to get an In the past, the Prytania has The director draws from his abortion, and, unlike in many other films that have touched on the chosen directors such as David own background as a pacifist, subject, goes through with it. '' Lynch, Quentin Tarantino and feminist and his belief that hu- So far, the film and its cast have been nominated for The plot Wes Anderson. manity should remain rooted in the Big Screen Award and KNF Award at the Rotterdam 'This time around, the nature. The crux of most of Mi- Film Festival and the Golden Space Needle Award at fOCUSeS On the showcase presents the works yazaki's films revolve around the the Seattle Film Festival.
    [Show full text]
  • 00:00:00 Music Transition “Switchblade Comb” by Mobius Vanchocstraw
    00:00:00 Music Transition “Switchblade Comb” by Mobius VanChocStraw. A jaunty, jazzy tune reminiscent of the opening theme of a movie. Music continues at a lower volume as April introduces herself and her guest, and then it fades out. 00:00:08 April Wolfe Host Welcome to Switchblade Sisters, where women get together to slice and dice our favorite action and genre films. I’m April Wolfe. Every week, I invite a new female filmmaker on. A writer, director, actor, or producer, and we talk—in depth—about one of their fave genre films. Perhaps one that’s influenced their own work in some small way. Today, you know, you may know that we are social distancing, so remote recording of course. Um, Chicken’s in the other room, so you might not hear her screaming. Um, the wild parrots are out, though. You may hear that flock passing by. Um, so sound is a little bit different in the studio than uh, it usually is. Everything else is pretty much the same, except for today, our guest is different. Our guest is writer-director Karen Maine. Hi, Karen! 00:00:49 Karen Guest Hi! Thanks for having me. Maine 00:00:51 April Host Um, Karen, are you in Los Angeles right now, or are you elsewhere? 00:00:54 Karen Guest I am in Green Point, Brooklyn. 00:00:56 April Host You’re in Brooklyn. Uh, you guys have tornadoes or anything over there right now? You guys good? 00:01:01 Karen Guest Yeah, we’re good.
    [Show full text]
  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Spring 2014 Contact: Deb Pinger [email protected] 615-742-2500 Or 615-598-6440
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Spring 2014 Contact: Deb Pinger [email protected] 615-742-2500 or 615-598-6440 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SPECIAL PRESENTATION, OPENING DAY AND WORLD VANGUARD LINEUP World Premieres The Identical, Field of Lost Shoes Southeast Premieres Lucky Them, Happy Christmas US and North American Premieres Long Way Home, The Enemy Within Nashville, TN - The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) today announced the Special Presentations line-up for the 45th annual Festival, April 17 – 26th at Regal Green Hills Stadium 16. “The special presentations are Nashville’s first chance to see what will be some of the biggest hits of the year,” said Brian Owens, NaFF’s Artistic Director. “They are all incredibly entertaining in a variety of ways, from downright hysterical to powerfully moving.” The Special Presentation films are invited to the festival by Owens, as a result of his travels to Sundance and Toronto and daily contact with film-industry insiders. This is his 6th year programming NaFF, after joining the festival in Summer, 2008. The Nashville Film Festival has become one of the premier showcases for the best new work of American and international filmmakers. The festival screens films that represent the creative risk filmmakers take to tell powerful and important stories in innovative ways. Owens programmed Opening Day with Nashville in mind. These are films made in or near the city, by a Tennessee filmmaker, or by a filmmaker well-loved by the NaFF festival audience. Opening Day Selections: The Identical | Director: Dustin Marcellino. USA. 88 minutes. Starring: Blake Rayne, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Seth Green, Joe Pantoliano, Amanda Crew, Brian Geraghty The Identical is the story of a young couple, who give birth to identical twin boys in the depths of the Great Depression.
    [Show full text]
  • Signature Redacted
    Perspectives on Film Distribution in the U.S.: Present and Future By Loubna Berrada Master in Management HEC Paris, 2016 SUBMITTED TO THE MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2016 OFTECHNOLOGY 2016 Loubna Berrada. All rights reserved. JUN 08 201 The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic LIBRARIES copies of this thesis document in whole or in part ARCHIVES in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author: Signature redE cted MIT Sloan School of Management May 6, 2016 Certified by: Signature redacted Juanjuan Zhang Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management Professor of Marketing MIT Sloan School of Management Thesis Supervisor Accepted by: Signature redacted Rodrigo S. Verdi Associate Professor of Accounting Program Director, M.S. in Management Studies Program MIT Sloan School of Management 2 Perspectives on Film Distribution in the U.S.: Present and Future By Loubna Berrada Submitted to MIT Sloan School of Management on May 6, 2016 in Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Management Studies. Abstract I believe film has the power to transform people's lives and minds and to enlighten today's generation like any other medium. This is why I wanted to write my thesis about film distribution as it will determine the future of the industry itself. The way films are distributed, accessed and consumed will be critical in shaping our future entertainment culture and the way we approach content.
    [Show full text]
  • Northumbria Research Link
    Northumbria Research Link Citation: Hair, Melissa (2019) “I’d like an abortion please”: rethinking unplanned pregnancy narratives in contemporary American cinema. Feminist Media Studies, 19 (3). pp. 380-395. ISSN 1468-0777 Published by: Taylor & Francis URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1465444 <https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1465444> This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/34184/ Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University’s research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. Single copies of full items can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must not be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holder. The full policy is available online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.html This document may differ from the final, published version of the research and has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies. To read and/or cite from the published version of the research, please visit the publisher’s website (a subscription may be required.) “I’d like an abortion please”: Rethinking Unplanned Pregnancy Narratives in Contemporary American Cinema Released in 2014 and 2015 respectively, the American indie films Obvious Child and Grandma each feature a central protagonist who is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and is pursuing an abortion.
    [Show full text]
  • Following Is a Listing of Public Relations Firms Who Have Represented Films at Previous Sundance Film Festivals
    Following is a listing of public relations firms who have represented films at previous Sundance Film Festivals. This is just a sample of the firms that can help promote your film and is a good guide to start your search for representation. 11th Street Lot 11th Street Lot Marketing & PR offers strategic marketing and publicity services to independent films at every stage of release, from festival premiere to digital distribution, including traditional publicity (film reviews, regional and trade coverage, interviews and features); digital marketing (social media, email marketing, etc); and creative, custom audience-building initiatives. Contact: Lisa Trifone P: 646.926-4012 E: [email protected] ​ www.11thstreetlot.com 42West 42West is a US entertainment public relations and consulting firm. A full service bi-coastal agency, ​ 42West handles film release campaigns, awards campaigns, online marketing and publicity, strategic communications, personal publicity, and integrated promotions and marketing. With a presence at Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Tribeca, SXSW, New York and Los Angeles film festivals, 42West plays a key role in supporting the sales of acquisition titles as well as launching a film through a festival publicity campaign. Past Sundance Films the company has represented include Joanna Hogg’s THE SOUVENIR (winner of World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic), Lee Cronin’s THE HOLE IN THE GROUND, Paul Dano’s WILDLIFE, Sara Colangelo’s THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER (winner of Director in U.S. competition), Maggie Bett’s NOVITIATE
    [Show full text]
  • Movie Suggestions for 55 and Older: #4 (141) After the Ball
    Movie Suggestions for 55 and older: #4 (141) After The Ball - Comedy - Female fashion designer who has strikes against her because father sells knockoffs, gives up and tries to work her way up in the family business with legitimate designes of her own. Lots of obstacles from stepmother’s daughters. {The} Alamo - Western - John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Richard Boone, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Linda Cristal, Joan O’Brien, Chill Wills, Ken Curtis, Carlos Arru , Jester Hairston, Joseph Calleia. 185 men stood against 7,000 at the Alamo. It was filmed close to the site of the actual battle. Alive - Adventure - Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, James Newton Howard, et al. Based on a true story. Rugby players live through a plane crash in the Andes Mountains. When they realize the rescue isn’t coming, they figure ways to stay alive. Overcoming huge odds against their survival, this is about courage in the face of desolation, other disasters, and the limits of human courage and endurance. Rated “R”. {The} American Friend - Suspense - Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Gerard Blain, Nicholas Ray, Samuel Fuller, Peter Lilienthal, Daniel Schmid, Jean Eustache, Sandy Whitelaw, Lou Castel. An American sociopath art dealer (forged paintings) sells in Germany. He meets an idealistic art restorer who is dying. The two work together so the German man’s family can get funds. This is considered a worldwide cult film. Amongst White Clouds - 294.3 AMO - Buddhist, Hermit Masters of China’s Zhongnan Mountains. Winner of many awards. “An unforgettable journey into the hidden tradition of China’s Buddhist hermit monks.
    [Show full text]
  • Shilyh Warren Abortion, Abortion, Abortion, Still
    Shilyh Warren Abortion, Abortion, Abortion, Still: Documentary Show and Tell Some of us are weary of the topic. Some of us are weary of ringing the alarm bells, of holding signs, of trying to keep clinics open, sidewalks clear, women informed. After several months of work- ing steadily on the subject of abortion in feminist documentary, while also living in Texas, I, too, am wearing down. But the fact remains: we are in the midst of an urgent political, legal, and cultural upheaval over abortion. Still. Since women placed abortion at the center of their concerns in the late 1960s, abortion has remained at the top of the feminist agenda. While many conceptual, social, and material links connect 1970s feminisms with the contem- porary landscape of feminist activism, abortion abides as one of the significant power struggles between women and systems of patriarchal and capitalist power and control. In the words of Ellen Willis (quoted in Nelson 2003: 3), a member of the New York–based radical feminist group Redstock- ings, demanding legal abortion in the late 1960s was about “asserting autonomy and subjecthood; it was about the right to have sex, play God, to bring life into the world. This freaked people out.” Histo- rians such as Wendy Kline (2010: 68) explain that abortion was initially “a touchstone” for women’s The South Atlantic Quarterly 114:4, October 2015 doi 10.1215/00382876-3157122 © 2015 Duke University Press Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/south-atlantic-quarterly/article-pdf/114/4/755/471396/ddsaq_114_4_05Warren_Fpp.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 756 The South Atlantic Quarterly • October 2015 liberation and was taken up by feminist activists as “a collective problem for all women.” However, abortion has not been a coalition issue for women in the way second-wave feminist activists envisioned.
    [Show full text]
  • The Queerness of Immaturity in American Film
    NEVER GROW UP: THE QUEERNESS OF IMMATURITY IN AMERICAN FILM by LAUREN R. DAVINE Bachelor of Arts Honors, Film Studies Western University, London, Ontario, 2007 Master of Arts, Cinema Studies University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, 2010 A dissertation presented to Ryerson University and York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the program of Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2018 ©Lauren Davine 2018 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii Never Grow Up: The Queerness of Immaturity in American Film Lauren Davine, 2018 Doctor of Philosophy in Communication and Culture Ryerson University and York University Abstract This dissertation examines the contradictory status of immaturity in our culture. While immaturity’s otherness to heteronormative adulthood is a source of fear and anxiety, this otherness is also what makes it desirable–that is, immaturity represents an escape from the pressures and standards of adulthood, signifying an oppositional subjectivity reminiscent of youthful rebellion. Indeed, the oppositional nature of immaturity is ultimately what gives it power as a source of political agency.
    [Show full text]
  • 2014 Year in Review
    2014 Year In Review A supplement to help you complete the “What Life was Like…” and “Profile of…” Time Capsule books We suggest you use this Year In Review as a guide to help complete the book. You should copy the information into your book using your own handwriting so that the book looks uniform and complete. TOP 10 Songs TOP 10 TV SHOWS 1. “Flawless,” Beyonce & Nicki Minaj 1. Transparent (Amazon) 2. “Blank Space,” Taylor Swift 2. The Americans (FX) 3. “Move That Dope,” Future, Pharrell Williams, Pusha 3. The Good Wife (CBS) T, Casino 4. Orange Is the New Black (Netflix) 4. “Inside Out,” Spoon 5. Fargo (FX) 5. “2 On,” Tinashe & Schoolboy Q 6. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) 6. “Red Eyes,” The War on Drugs 7. Broad City (Comedy Central) 7. “Blockbuster Night Part 1,” Run the Jewels 8. Louie (FX) 8. “In the House of Yes,” Mr Twin Sister 9. High Maintenance (Vimeo) 9. “Talking Backwards,” Real Estate 10. Silicon Valley (HBO) 10. “Chandelier,” Sia Source: http://time.com/collection/top-10-everything-of-2014/ Source: http://time.com/collection/top-10-everything-of-2014/ TOP 10 BEST MOVIES TOP 10 MOVIE PERFORMERS 1. The Grand Budapest Hotel 1. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game 2. Boyhood 2. Julianne Moore, Still Alice 3. The LEGO Movie 3. Chadwick Boseman, Get On Up 4. Lucy 4. Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant and Two 5. Goodbye to Language Days, One Night 6. Jodorowsky’s Dune 5. Eva Green, 300: Rise of an Empire and Sin 7. Nightcrawler City: A Dame to Kill For 8.
    [Show full text]