Unhappily, this movie banalizes children suicide. I was really intrigued about how easy it was to come up with such a sad and intense story, feeling that some highly important issues weren't discussed:
1. Does this story represent a significantly relatable problem for kids of this age? Is this sample a good picture of the society?
2. What is the actual impact that this movie can have? How will children perceive it?
Regarding the first one, I decided to do some simple research. I will quote studies (can't leave the link, don't know why)
The proportion of students (high school) who reported having attempted suicide remained relatively constant in the 1990s and early 2000s (from 7 to 9 percent) but declined from 8 percent in 2005 to 6 percent in 2009. This trend reversed in 2011, with the proportion increasing to 8 percent that year and 9 percent in 2015, before dropping to 7 percent in 2017.
In a recent study, we looked at 134 suicide deaths of children aged 5 to 11 years between 2013 and 2017. Most of the children were between 10 and 11 years old, and 75% were male. Among the children who died by suicide, we found that: * 31% had a mental health concern or diagnosis, with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mood disorders such as depression being the most common diagnoses * 24% had a prior psychiatric hospitalization * 78% were receiving mental health treatment before their deaths
And now let's state all the incoherences or gaps of the movie:
* The % of students who thought about committing suicide was 17% in 2017. 7% actually did it. Wouldn't it be better to have explored the 10% who didn't? Wouldn't that be a stronger motivating weapon to beat these suicide rates?
* None of the three main reasons that lead to suicide in children was shown in the movie. The kid was healthy and apparently happy. Some lack of confidence, independence and extrovertedness could be identified, but those are features of personality, not mental problems * The victim never suffered direct bullying from the colleagues. In the world of bullying - which is undoubtedly dangerous and concerning - what actually happened was quite soft and respectable. Both kids were asked if they were a homossexual couple and Leo was once joked inappropriately for supposedly being homossexual
So basically the movie made a child kill himself because his best friend (or eventually lover) started getting distant because he was feeling judgement of his peers for supposedly being gay?
There are 2 fights between the children, one of them public, and no professor or school worker decides to have a conversation with both children?
Two children sleep together almost everyday, their peers think they are in an homossexual relationship, and their parents never noticed that something could be a bit precocious? I mean, is it normal that two 13 year old children who might be sexually attracted for each other sleep together everyday?
And the last question, which marks the moment of the movie where it could turn into something actually horrible to see.
How can the first impulse of a mother be to blame her son's best friend for his death? Even if she wasn't expecting that announcement (which would surprise me, since I would expect a mother in that situation to think deeply about all the possible reasons of the suicide) how wasn't her first impulse to say "The death of my son is obviously not your fault. The responsibility of educating him and guaranteeing that everything was okay with him wasn't yours, but mine and from his father. If responsibles are in this death, definitely you're not the one." How could the plot be so dramatic to put me thinking that would actually turn into an horror movie where the mother would kill that innocent and humble child?
Summary: too dramatic, dangerous with the message, easy screenplay, lack of study.
1. Does this story represent a significantly relatable problem for kids of this age? Is this sample a good picture of the society?
2. What is the actual impact that this movie can have? How will children perceive it?
Regarding the first one, I decided to do some simple research. I will quote studies (can't leave the link, don't know why)
The proportion of students (high school) who reported having attempted suicide remained relatively constant in the 1990s and early 2000s (from 7 to 9 percent) but declined from 8 percent in 2005 to 6 percent in 2009. This trend reversed in 2011, with the proportion increasing to 8 percent that year and 9 percent in 2015, before dropping to 7 percent in 2017.
In a recent study, we looked at 134 suicide deaths of children aged 5 to 11 years between 2013 and 2017. Most of the children were between 10 and 11 years old, and 75% were male. Among the children who died by suicide, we found that: * 31% had a mental health concern or diagnosis, with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mood disorders such as depression being the most common diagnoses * 24% had a prior psychiatric hospitalization * 78% were receiving mental health treatment before their deaths
And now let's state all the incoherences or gaps of the movie:
* The % of students who thought about committing suicide was 17% in 2017. 7% actually did it. Wouldn't it be better to have explored the 10% who didn't? Wouldn't that be a stronger motivating weapon to beat these suicide rates?
* None of the three main reasons that lead to suicide in children was shown in the movie. The kid was healthy and apparently happy. Some lack of confidence, independence and extrovertedness could be identified, but those are features of personality, not mental problems * The victim never suffered direct bullying from the colleagues. In the world of bullying - which is undoubtedly dangerous and concerning - what actually happened was quite soft and respectable. Both kids were asked if they were a homossexual couple and Leo was once joked inappropriately for supposedly being homossexual
So basically the movie made a child kill himself because his best friend (or eventually lover) started getting distant because he was feeling judgement of his peers for supposedly being gay?
There are 2 fights between the children, one of them public, and no professor or school worker decides to have a conversation with both children?
Two children sleep together almost everyday, their peers think they are in an homossexual relationship, and their parents never noticed that something could be a bit precocious? I mean, is it normal that two 13 year old children who might be sexually attracted for each other sleep together everyday?
And the last question, which marks the moment of the movie where it could turn into something actually horrible to see.
How can the first impulse of a mother be to blame her son's best friend for his death? Even if she wasn't expecting that announcement (which would surprise me, since I would expect a mother in that situation to think deeply about all the possible reasons of the suicide) how wasn't her first impulse to say "The death of my son is obviously not your fault. The responsibility of educating him and guaranteeing that everything was okay with him wasn't yours, but mine and from his father. If responsibles are in this death, definitely you're not the one." How could the plot be so dramatic to put me thinking that would actually turn into an horror movie where the mother would kill that innocent and humble child?
Summary: too dramatic, dangerous with the message, easy screenplay, lack of study.