Hypothesis: The romantic comedy and drama independent films 'The Perks of being a Wallflower' and 'Submarine', both place a male in the main role of feminine character, that would usually played as a female in a hollywood film, to show that boys do have feelings too.
MACRO: The representation of gender in independent rom com/drama films
Introduction: The films The Perks of being a Wallflower and Submarine are both independent films that cast a boy in a feminine role to show that boys do not have to be masculine and can show their feelings just as much as teenage girls. In hollywood films, the feminine person in the films would be cast a teenage girl, as it is more relatable compared to if boys are cast in the film, because these genres target audience is more teenage girls, rather than teenage boys. The Perks of being a Wallflower shows a teenage boy just starting high school who has found an older group of friends that are different like him, outcasts of 'normal' social groups. Throughout the film, Charlie narrates it from him point of view as he is writing a diary type thing to an unknown person, within these letters he shares his experiences of his first year at high school through his first crush and his breakdown, which is seen as a particularly feminine thing. Submarine follows another teenage boy who is seen as one of the weird kids in his class, it shows his first experiences with a girl that he likes and how he tries to help the spark in his parents relationship relight. It shows how he is seen as a weak small person on the outskirts of the socially acceptable, finding his first love in which she is seen as the more masculine person in the relationship as she takes control of him.
Point 1:Weakness
Example The Perks of being a Wallflower:
Example Submarine: Within this scene Oliver the main character has been put into a headlock as Jordana, the girl he likes, told him to write down horrible rumours about the bully's girlfriend in a diary and leave it where someone would see it, as the bully is Jordana's ex boyfriend. In the scene, the bully is making Oliver say things that he doesn't want to say, to get revenge for the diary, to persuade him to do so he is threatening to beat him up. To show that the bully is in power, they use a low angle on him, after this the scene cuts to Oliver laying on the floor with a nosebleed, showing he has been punched. To show that Oliver is weak, they use a high angle on him.
Analysis: In these scenes both main characters Charlie and Oliver, show signs of weakness making them seem more feminine and vulnerable. In 'The Perks of being a Wallflower', the clip shows Charlie crying and breaking down as his friends have gone to college and left him with no one to confide in. He feels alone and vulnerable, showing he is more feminine as he is letting out all of his emotions and feelings about the situation he is in. This is more of a girl thing to do, as boys are seen as more masculine figures that do not show emotion in this genre of film, but as this is an independent film it portrays Charlie as a more girly character, to challenge the way we think about teenage boys and the way they feel. In 'Submarine', the scene I chose is when Oliver is getting bullied and beaten up because the girl he has fallen in love with has persuaded him to write rumours about the bully's girlfriend and leave i where someone can see it. In this scene the bully has Oliver in a headlock making him say things he doesn't want to. To show that the bully is in power, they use a low angle to show he is more important and more masculine, afterwards they use a high angle on Oliver when he is laying on the floor with a nosebleed to show he is weak and more feminine.
Point 2:Showing feelings
Example The Perks of being a Wallflower:
Example Submarine: In the scene I have chosen for 'Submarine' Oliver is happy as he just got his first kiss from Jordana, a girl that he likes. After walking her home, Oliver realises they are in a relationship, so when Jordana shuts her front door Oliver runs around literally with joy, because he is in a relationship.
Analysis: In the scene from 'The Perks of being a Wallflower', is the opening scene where it is evident that Charlie is narrating the film, making it seem as though he is writing all of his thoughts and feelings down in a series of letters to an unknown person. This is usually seen as a particularly girly thing to do, to create a diary type thing to keep all of their feelings in, this could be seen as a feminine trait, as boys usually do not like to show their feelings. In this clip, part of it shows Charlie's bedroom, most teenage boys bedrooms would be dirty and untidy, whereas Charlie's bedroom is very organised and neat like a girls bedroom would usually be.This is another feminine trait of Charlie's that is with the film. In the scene from 'Submarine', it is just after Oliver has his first kiss so he is happy and after he walks Jordana home, he literally runs and jumps around with joy which could be interpreted as a feminine thing as girls are usually the ones to show their feelings and it is not seen as particularly masculine to jump around and show how happy you are after your first kiss.
point 3: Doesn't go to plan
Example The Perks of being a Wallflower: This part of The Perks of being a wallflower, Charlie and his girlfriend come back from a dance where the girl asks the boy to be their date. She makes a move on Charlie, he feels uncomfortable as he likes the girls friend, but he doesn't say anything because he feels to awkward so goes along with it.
Example Submarine: In this chosen scene Oliver tries to make everything seem romantic for his first time with his girlfriend, by having a dinner date and making everything looks nice in the bedroom. Jordana his girlfriend doesn't actually like this and thinks it is stupid, so she walks out. She comes back a few minutes later and everything is completely different to what Oliver planned the situation out to be.
Analysis: In 'The Perks of being a Wallflower' this is the scene where Charlie loses his virginity to a girl that he doesn't actually like, because he likes her friend more. These films usually show that the boy gets the girl, but in this film he is more or less settling for second best. The reason why he doesn't actually say no to the girl is because he feels to uncomfortable and awkward to say anything, and that he feels that he will be embarrassed to say he isn't ready. This is a feminine thing as he doesn't know how to say no as he would feel guilty if he said something, usually it is a girl being sort of pressured into these types of situations and feeling like they can't say no, but in 'The Perks of being a Wallflower' it seems as though Charlie is being pressured into a situation. Another reason why he may not want to say no, is that he doesn't want to seem any more feminine that he has put across already. In 'Submarine' Oliver attempts to make everything romantic for when he loses his virginity, which could be interpreted as a feminine thing to do, as girls what everything to be perfect and they care more about their first time that boys do. Jordana seems like the masculine one in the relationship, as she basically thinks that the whole situation is stupid because when Oliver shows her what he has done to make it romantic, she walks out as she thinks it is just embarrassing. After Jordana walks out, she come back and he loses his virginity in a completely different way to what he first thought he would.
Point 4: Masculine females
Example The Perks of being a Wallflower:
Example Submarine: In this clip Jordana is telling Oliver what to do, he is doing everything she says. She tells him to kneel down then she kneels down in front of him and then they kiss, only because she wants to. All of this is taking place as she is telling him what to do making her more in control of what is happening.
Analysis:
In The Perks of being a Wallflower, Charlie discusses with sam about her first kiss and he then explains that he has never kissed a girl before. This is when Sam, the girl he likes, tells him that she wants his first kiss to be with someone who loves him. She then kisses him, this shows she makes the first move, making her seem more masculine and charlie more feminine, as usually it would be the boy to make a move and be in control. This scene shows that the roles are switched as she is taking control of the situation, which is seen as a more male thing to do. In submarine, it is basically the same situation, where Jordana takes control and kisses Oliver, this is more masculine as she is telling him what to do and when to do it. This makes Oliver seem more feminine, because she is bossing him around and he is following her lead, which shows he is more of a girl in their relationship. In both films, these are both boys first kisses, which makes them seem innocent and more girl like as girls are seen as the more innocent gender, therefore they are seen as feminine.
Conclusion: Both 'The Perks of being a Wallflower' and 'Submarine' cast a male in a feminine role, because they are both independent films meaning they are challenging the usual representation of teenage boys and their masculinity. In usual Hollywood films of the same genre, they would cast a female in a feminine role as it is seen as more familiar and normal, as boy do not usually show their feelings and try their best to be seen as masculine not feminine. However these two films go against the usual girl meets boy point of view, they change the perspective so that the situation is seen from the boys point of view as it is unusual and interesting to the viewer. The message of these two films i would say was to show that boys do actually have feelings too and they may not be as masculine as they are making out to be, so girls should be more considerate as boys could be just as emotional over situations which would only be seen from girls point of view in these genres of films.
