'Skins' - Movie Analysis Essay

Introduction

'Skins' is a family teen drama that depicts the lives and times of a group of youths in Southwest England. This British TV series highlights teenager's years through the sixth form and explores issues including dysfunctional families, substance abuse, mental illnesses, bullying, such as autism, eating disorders, and death. Other themes explored in this family drama include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and gender. The TV series majorly focus on teenagers as it characters and their daily experience. Skins premiered in 2007 and achieved high ratings not only in England but across the world. The family drama remains one of the most controversial TV shows despite its interesting themes outstanding fame. MTV, famous American cable channel aired the show from January 2007 to 2013 as a result of its remarkable popularity, achieved in 2011. However, MTV dropped it as a result of its controversy, including promotion of sex among teenagers. Afterward, Skins remain one of the most successful and controversial family TV series exploring and boldly airing out critical issues faced by teenagers throughout their life at home and in school. This paper aims to investigate the thought of the Skins' writer as reflected in the TV series and the family roles brought forth by each character.

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The co-creators of Skins Bryan Elsley built the TV series storyline on teenagers' lives co-existing with alcohol, drugs, casual sex, and poor behavior. In a dialogue with his son Jamie Brittain, the two explored the two themes that led to the development and creation of the controversial family TV. Although the son criticized most of his father's ideas behind the series, he based the play's themes on most societal issues faced by teenagers. According to the producers, Bryan Elsley and Jamies Brittain, teenagers believe that adults depict the worst behavior. Due to this, most adults depicted in the TV series describe poor parenting, swearing, poor relationships, and crooked behaviors.

The characters include Tony Stonem (Nicholas Hoult), a famous, intelligent, and attractive boy. Stonem depicts a manipulative behavior with his best friend, Sid Jenkins, having opposite traits that sees him struggle with school work, socially distant, and exhibits low self-esteem. Chris depicts the loner and has a hereditary subarachnoid hemorrhage. He has a lot of family challenges but comes forth as talented, seductive, and attractive. Other characters in the first generation include Chris Miles, Anwar Kharral (Dev Patel), Aimee-Ffion Edwards, and Effy Stonem (Kaya Scodelario). Effy acts as Tony's younger sister. The third generation has lead characters such as Katie (Megan Prescott), James Cook (Jack O'Connell), Emily Fitch. The third generation features main characters, including Mini McGuiness (Freya Mavor), Grace Blood (Jessica Sula), and Liv Malone, among others. The figures depict various controversial attributes highlighting both the positive and negative lifestyles of teenagers.

Risk factors that define and shape teens' lives include exposure to suicidal behavior, stressful life event, drug abuse and alcohol, family history of depression, mental illness, and anxiety, among others. Teenagers have a lot in their day to day lives. The TV series highlights some of the most ignored and often criticized aspects of teen behaviors. These such as problems stemming from family history, health issues, and personal challenges often put teenagers in awkward situations. Family challenges as depicted in the life and times of Chris Miles remains one of the pointers to emotional unsteadiness in teens lives. An experience lacking motherly guidance drives her to wrong decisions, depending on her talented but warped brother Maxxie Oliver. Most decisions made by teenagers arise from external factors that include social circles, parental or lack of at homes and impulsive behaviors. Her ambivalent father offers little to help her through her difficult times and with no mother in sight, Miles lives a life of hopelessness, with little focus on her studies and decision making. In the recent past, depression among teenagers, alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicidal thoughts have dominated much of adolescent's lives.

Personal Reflection

On a personal level, I believe that parents lead in the primary cause of teen lost focus in life. The family forms the fundamental foundation of one's characters and disposition. I believe that a stable upright family needs to put in place measures and strategies of addressing teen challenges such as drug abuse and depression. In the TV series, Freddie McClair finds comfort in smoking weed, a habit that he urges his friends such as James Cook to pick along. Due to peer pressure, most of his friends follow his traits believing in his easy-going attitude as a product of the drugs. Peer pressure remains the greatest threat to teen stability. Without sufficient guidance and advice, teenagers face the most difficult decision to follow in the steps of their friends or stick to their preferences.

One of the most important decisions a teenager can make is to remain undeterred to anti-social behaviors such as drug abuse or casual sex. Elfy keeps her challenges hidden, is distant, and quiet. But she adores Tony, who lives the carefree lifestyle of drugs, sex, and social attention. Gradually, due to pressure from Tony, she starts indulging in casual sex, multiple romantic relations, and carefree life. I believe that to live a decent living and one has to establish a moral compass that functions as their ethical guidelines. Without a moral compass and with social pressure to conform, one can easily succumb to anti-social behaviors.

Family Roles

The family stands as the moral guidance and foundation of good character in teenagers. A family lacking moral guidance and principles remains a threat to the good and well-being of an adolescent. A teenager appreciating and recognizing that the family stands as the foundation of ethical values has the likelihood of setting good examples to others. A family committed to guiding, helping, and correcting a teenager has the best chance to bring forth ethical conduct in the teenager. I believe that the family has the primary function as a change agent, guide, and pointer to a good moral life. Without family guidelines, a teenager stands the chance of engaging in immoral conduct due to the devoid left in their lives. For example, ethical family rules provide teenagers with the framework of basing their behaviors. Ethical family rules also play an essential role in helping teenagers understand the right and wrong.

The family has the moral obligation to establish a conducive environment for holistic growth for a teenager. The home environment plays a critical role in a teenager's behavior development and especially cognitive development. A teenager brought up in a toxic environment devoid of moral guidelines has the chance of dropping out of school, engaging in immoral behaviors, and picking up habits from peer groups.

Parents must ensure that the home environment remains favorable, calm, and peaceful. A relaxed and friendly home environment helps a teenager build on positive traits such as respect, patience, kindness, and empathy. However, a toxic parent may wreak a teenager's emotional life. In the TV series, Jal Fazer's runaway mother plays a critical role in her poor upbringing. Despite having a sensible personality a greatly talented, Fazer fails to utilize her abilities due to poor and harmful home environments.

Health remains an essential factor in a teenager's life. Poor health often leads to life complication such as poor cognitive abilities, poor social skills, and underutilized potentials. The family has the principal role in ensuring that a teenager is in good health and maintains the best healthcare practices. Some of the habits families need to condemn and discourage a teenager include alcohol use, drug abuse, binge eating, and lack of self-care. The family environment and especially the parents need to take great interest in their teenager's whereabouts, lifestyle, decisions, and belief. Through understanding, parent prepares to counter and help the teen with any challenge experienced either at school or at home. For example, a parent or elder sibling must take a keen interest in the social environment of a teenager within the neighborhood and at school.

Comparison With My culture

My family and culture generally scorn many of the traits exhibited by the teenagers in the TV series, Skins. Major issues explored in the movie, such as substance abuse, bullying, casual sex, and the hook-up culture, remain controversial, and most families in my culture detest and condemn them. Although my culture experiences a great deal of the above issues, most families have well-established disciplinary measures that include punishment to stop the escalation of such behaviors. My culture has strict moral guidelines that youths must follow. For example, alcohol consumption remains a forbidden act among teenagers. Teenagers rarely go out for clubbing, dancing, hook-ups, or social places. In the case a teenager desires to go to any social event, they must remain in the company of an adult. Thus, the notion of teenage grouping remains a rare occurrence in my culture.

Impact on North American Culture

Skins raised significant controversy upon its introduction in North America. The TV series had little impact on North America but it did take long on-air as most sponsors criticized its stand on provocative and sensitive social issues. Teen sexuality topped the list on the most debated topic. Due to public demand, the TV series stopped airing owing to a poor rating. Parents took the opportunity to criticize TV sponsors in spreading and creating awareness on unwelcome social issues.

Conclusion

Despite its controversial position on social issues affecting teen's lives, Skins remains one of the most realistic TV series to address young people's lifestyles. The TV series came forth as a brutal and non-apologetic movie on pertinent social issues. Although the series faced criticism from leaders and society at large, I feel that the people continue to live in denial. This is because the episode addressed some of the most pertinent issues families and parents need to focus on while raising teenagers.

Work Cited

Elsley, Bryan, et al., Skins, Company Pictures, 25 Jan. 2007