Spring-Breakers-Movie-Poster

Ferhiyo Ismail Ali,

Editor (Film)

 

There have been several concerns regarding the Spring Breakers movie after its release in the US and internationally. Disney stars such as Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez were among the cast members alongside Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco. The film is about four college girls who are unable to go on a spring break because of their inability to cover the expenses. After getting high on cocaine and other illegal substances due to being financially frustrated, the girls decided to commit a robbery at their local café in order to fund for their spring break to Florida. The girls engage in reckless behaviour, such as smoking illegal substances, behaving in sexual and derogatory ways and engaging in excessive partying.

Although this is common among young people today, it may still be deemed as inappropriate for the young audiences who may be watching this film, such as the fans of the two Disney stars. In a way, it could be argued that this film is a form of entertainment value due to the use of humour and comedy that the film has adopted into its sequence but it is also considered to exploit young people. In the film, the girls constant wear of bikinis places emphasis on their bodies and are therefore made central to the male gaze, as their bodies are being fetishised by the various uses of different camera angles. Maybe, to some this may be a form of entertainment?

However, the film does raise awareness of how young people can be easily influenced and its potential consequences. Faith, who is played by Selena Gomez, is portrayed as an innocent girl who is deeply into her religious beliefs. She thinks rationally and from a consequentialist perspective in comparison to her friends who live by the “act like you’re in a movie” motto. The satirical moments in the film most definitely overshadows the explicit scenes as it highlights the true nature and reality of young people in this modern day. So, in this sense, it is more of a parody and entertainment value more than it is of exploitation.

The following two tabs change content below.
Ferhiyo Ismail Ali

Ferhiyo Ismail Ali

Farhiya Ismail Ali, an undergraduate student at Cardiff’s School of Journalism at Cardiff University – UK, is the Africa editor for The Global Panorama. Farhiya is interested in international news and global events; and writes across various arenas, such as politics. Apart from her desire to broaden her horizons and the vision of the world, Farhiya wants to pursue a career within the Journalism field of international news and foreign reporting.