It was a Friday night and my husband and I finally got our cable set up after a recent move. As I excitedly flipped through the options of “on demand” films, I came across the listing for “The Shallows.” I recall being intrigued when seeing the preview at the theaters awhile back. Aware that it was primarily aimed at a teen audience, it was still portrayed as a thinking film of sorts. Girl vs. Wild. Trying to outsmart the shark ready to eat her by timing the tides, using a precise and strategic approach. It seemed part thriller part analytical film. But perhaps I got too far ahead of myself. Perhaps I put too much stock into the potential for a teen summer beach flick.
It turns out that I spent approximately 75 percent of the screen time covering my eyes, and by the time I realized I had to close my eyes while covering my ears at the incessant moaning in pain from the protagonist, we decided it was time to turn the film off. And this is an extreme rarity for me. But the film was downright gruesome and disturbing. Bad acting entirely aside. I was appalled that such a film was even approved for a PG-13 rating. The lead character is bit by a shark early on in the film and literally tries to sew her gash back together with her jewelry (I can’t confirm this fact as my eyes were closed, but that was the gist of what my husband gathered was going on). We see a part of a whale with a chunk of skin missing and pools of blood. Repeatedly. I did not sign on for a medical surgery drama where I’d be expecting this sort of thing.
Surprisingly, some of my teen clients who had shared seeing this film did not report being particularly bothered by the imagery. And on average, my clients tend to fall on the more sensitive side of the spectrum. I couldn’t help but connect this fact to other popular shows among this demographic, namely “Grey’s Anatomy” which many of my junior high clients are particularly infatuated with.
The question at the back of my mind is, are we slowly desensitizing our children without even realizing it? I’m often appalled when I ask parents if they are aware of the imagery their children are viewing. I ask if they know the content of shows, themes, and so forth. In the Netflix generation of youth who consume hours upon hours daily, weekly, annually, it is constantly on to the next best thing. Teens start with one show, acclimate to the level of suspense and seem to need more exciting things to capture their attention. Pretty soon are we going to be broadcasting brain surgeries on commercials to get messages across?
In college, I took a film class where we watched romantic comedies and westerns. I recall being initially uncertain how I’d feel about the western genre. After all, that’s what my dad’s generation watched, and the whole “cowboys and Indians” racial themes also made me uncomfortable. Not to mention many of the gendered aspects of these films, with women playing the damsels in distress. And yet, I was deeply moved by the simplicity, romance and depth of the old westerns our professor had us watch. Yes there was action, but a very intentional and smart approach to it. No gore was necessary because believe it or not, there was an actual plot line to carry the film.
As the holidays quickly creep up on us (because stores already have their Christmas trees up), I love asking my clients about their holiday traditions. Often clients mention films and Hallmark movies. They snuggle on couches with their families and watch peaceful, funny, and touching films. No sledgehammers necessary. So clearly, there is precedent for teens also being drawn to something entirely different from what Hollywood attempts to shove down their throats.
As parents, teachers, mentors and other significant figures in the lives of teens, it is important to be curious. Ask questions about television and films, what they like and dislike. Encourage teens to go against the grain when necessary and not feel that they need to take on bloody films because their peers are. The visual imagery they are being exposed to in films such as “The Shallows” is simply not normal. As one clever reviewer on IMDB wrote, “Finding Nemo” and “The Little Mermaid” are better “shark films” than “The Shallows.” So don’t allow yourself or an important teen in your life to be visually assaulted by inappropriate films aimed at their demographic.
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