Abstract
As Margaret Gullette claims, aging has traditionally been envisioned as a narrative of decline owing to pervasive ageist practices, whereas youth has often been considered as a narrative of progress. Nonetheless, owing to more inclusive social practices, which reflect contemporary times, positive aging has drawn attention to the potentialities of old age, thus paving the way for counterstories of aging in which elderly individuals display an unprecedented vitality that counteracts prejudices in relation to old age. Recently, Pamela Gravagne (2013) has referred to narratives of becoming, in which aging is approached as a collective and non-linear experience rather than as an individual and disconnected endeavour. Contemporary films featuring elderly characters with a special focus on old age give examples of aging as a narrative of decline through instances of ageism, and as a counterstory by means of examples of positive aging, but also as a narrative of becoming, thus envisioning old age as a stage full of possibilities. This paper focuses on the analysis of contemporary films like Adam Robitel’s The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), Axelle Carolyn’s Manor (2021), and Natalia Erika James’s Relic (2020) as respective examples of narratives of decline, counterstories, and narratives of becoming with regard to old age in cinema. Moreover, these three films allow us to approach aging from an individual, social, and global perspective, as they portray the individual’s aging process, the family’s concerns about taking care of an elderly relative, and the prevailing measures to address these issues in society.
Presenters
Marta Miquel BaldellouPostdoctoral Researcher, Centre of literatures and cultures in English, University of Lleida, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Cinema Studies, Cultural Gerontology, Gender Studies, Cultural Portrayals of Age
