RT Considers Children in Movies

While it can't be denied that children are growing up faster today than in the past few centuries (yet still slower than in most of human history), I too often find that kids in movies simply don't act like kids.

Kids are selfish. Kids are stpuid. Kids are afraid and insecure. Kids are immature. Kids are... kids. But, seemingly more often than not, kids in major roles in today's films act more like adults than children.

This is partly because children are the most reliably sympathetic characters in a movie, and portraying them as the insular, foolish brats they normally are wouldn't win points with the audience. Doing that would also take away opportunities for the filmmakers to tug on emotional strings to manipulate the audience toward an intended mood. Kids act like kids only when they are supposed to be despised by the audience, as villains or bullies.

Kids in movies are wise beyond their years (Trevor in Pay it Forward), too emotionally secure and mature (Lucy in I Am Sam), or intellectually superior to adults (Kevin in Home Alone).

Thankfully, not all child roles in movies are bad. Some are insecure (the kids of Stand by Me, Scott in The Sandlot) or selfish (Sebastian in The Adventures of Sebastian Cole). Or sometimes, their few areas of maturity are justified by the character's history (Iris in Taxi Driver).

Here's hoping that tomorrow's filmmakers will be more daring than yesterday's, and portray kids as kids. There is beauty in the truth of ugliness - they should embrace it!