Abstract
We reflect upon the cinematic representation of adjustment to retirement based on a comparative approach of two American movies, i.e. About Schmidt (2002) and The Intern (2015). If both movies stage a newly retired male character, (soon-to-be) widower, living alone, afar from their only child, their representation of retirement is very different. In About Schmidt, the adjustment to retirement is cumbersome and it entails an identity crisis. The character evolution – or involution – is punctuated by loneliness, resentment, uselessness, and lack of perspective. Filmed almost 15 years later, The Intern puts forward a very different approach of old age; here, retirement means staying active, creating new relationships, and exploring different possibilities of fulfillment, meant to keep the individual emotionally and professionally fit. Based on a qualitative content analysis, we show here that in the two movies there is a clear, positive evolution in the cinematic representation of retirement, in line with the “successful ageing” paradigm and with the social and cultural changes underwent by American society. We also show that, despite this evolution, a closer reading of The Intern highlights that the societal change could only happen within some clearly defined limits. In The Intern, the presence of a retiree in a successful e-commerce start-up is perceived as something exotic; his role is to back up, in a fatherly way, the evolution of the female leading character. The politics of inclusion function only to a certain extent, keeping the retiree at bay from the decision-making process.
Presenters
Denisa Adriana OpreaAssociate Professor, Communication Department, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucuresti, Romania Loredana Ivan
Professor, Communication Department, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucuresti, Romania
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
ADJUSTMENT TO RETIREMENT, SUCCESSFUL AGEING, CINEMATIC REPRESENTATIONS OF OLD AGE
