Somers Town - 'After Viewing' [Part 2 - Representation]

(This part will be covering Representation)

8. To what extent  do you think audience is expected to be 'comfortable' with this portrait of two teenagers?
-  From watching the film, I feel that the audience shouldn't be 'Comfortable' with the portrait of the two teenagers as in the film when Tomo first arrives to Somers Town he get beaten up by the 3 boys from around the area, this makes Tomo venerable and makes you feel for him. Also the film makes you feel uncomfortable because of both the boys were lonely until they befriended each other and were each others company it was if they were little lost sheep until they met. Although Marek has a farther, he is out at work all day, he comes home and has tea and then goes out drinking with friends, or stays in, invite friends over and drinks, so basically he is never there and is always drunk in the evening, therefore making Marek having to grow up faster than he should. But with Tomo it is a case of he needs to grow up fast because he has no family about, to help him or provide. This is what makes the audience uncomfortable. Yet there are some parts of the film for example when the boys are talking and having a laugh with each other make you, the audience feel comfortable with the teenage boys.

9. A sign on the estate reads 'children on these grounds is prohibited' in what different ways do Tomo and Marek seek to amuse themselves in this environment?
-  Tomo and Marek find different ways to amuse themselves, one is by going to the cafe but this is earlier on in the film when Maria was still in England, they go to surprise her but she had to leave for Paris all of a sudden , so they went to the local park is and started drinking alcohol they had brought. they then go back to Marek's flat later on and have a party between themselves playing loud music, getting  drunk, drinking  their selves stupid, like they were trying to forget about her. 'drowning their sorrows' would be the term to use. When watching this scene in the film you can see the two teenage boys being teenage boys, having fun, being immature, letting their hair down and being kids. it is quite amusing to watch. Another thing they do in the film is when Tomo and Marek go to still the clothes form the dry cleaners because Tomo wanted to some new clothes as the only things he has left after his bag was stolen was the items he had on. but his amuses the boys.

10. What messages about childhood and adolescence do you. or could you, take away from the film?
-  The messages that you could take away from the film is that children are made to grow up faster, and that children don't really have that much of a childhood any more. Also  you could say that the boys have had to adapt to what ever happens. Therefore you could say that you have to Grit your teeth and get on with life.

11. Do your reactions towards the boys  change at different points in the film?
      Which moments in particular:

a) Encourage you to sympathise with the boys;
    -  Is when Marek's farther comes home from work and he comes home to find that Marek is drunk and he had a brought a friend over, which his father does not like Marek doing, but this doesn't help they are bother drunk but Marek's father completely loses his temper with Marek and Tomo and shouts and hits Marek, demanding him what is going on. Also when Marius shouts at Tomo to get out of his house chucking his clothes and saying never ever to come back, this makes you feel sorry for the boys as they were only out to have a good time. Also another part of the film where you would sympathise, is when Tomo first comes to Somers Town, and he gets beaten up by three other teenage boys. Also for Marek, for when his father leaves him to go drinking, most night, you feel sorry for him as he is left at home all day while his father works and then he is left at home all night  while his father goes and drinks.


b) Make you unsympathetic towards them?
    - The Time where you  would be unsympathetic towards them is when they steal the laundry from the dry cleaners as  it was someone else clothes of which they will have to replace no expense to Tomo and Marek. Also i think why we would feel unsympathetic towards what they done is because stealing is wrong and that most people think it should be punished for and it doesn't help that they were someone else's clothes they stole.

12. Some of the other characters include Marek's farther, Mariusz, Graham the cockney neighbour, and the French waitress, Maria. To what extent would you agree that Meadows is playing with stereotypes in his representation of these characters?
 -  This film is fairly stereotypical because  of how Meadows presents some of the characters for example Mariuz, Marek's father, who has come to England to work and his boss is saying how well he works and that he is the best worker that he has seen in a long time, etc etc. Another is the French waitress, and how Paris, France is related to the place of love and how the French are meant to be very charming and flirty of which Maria shows to the boys when she kisses both of them on the lips after they brought her home in the wheel chair. This shows Meadows is playing with the stereotypes.