WATCH BOX OFFICE MOVIES FOR FREE
What Shazam! Gets Right About The Emotions Of Foster Children
Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for Shazam! Read at your own risk.
There's a lot to love about Shazam!, but amongst all the praise for its humor and action, there's one thing I loved about the DC movie above all else that isn't getting a lot of attention. Foster children play a huge part in Shazam!, and the way the film handles each child and the emotions they cope with is a supremely underrated thing this story should be getting more praise for.
I say this as a foster parent who has experienced firsthand and heard several stories from others about how harrowing the foster process can be. Much like Billy and the rest of the siblings, these kids are faced with tough situations very early in life that affects them in entirely different ways. No two kids are alike, and Shazam! shows audiences some of the various ways these kids are shaped in a way that mainstream media doesn't often show.
Take Billy, for example, who has spent a majority of his time in foster homes and running away in hopes of finding his birth mother. Billy is so convinced his mother has no way of finding him that he's leaving good and safe homes (which is not always a guarantee) and ignoring the case worker who suggests the reason she hasn't found him yet is because she's not looking.
What's most important in Shazam! is that it's explicitly clear to the audience why Billy does the things he does. He's not a foster kid acting out because he's ungrateful, misguided or a troublemaker. He legitimately believes his living situations are temporary, and that things will be alright once he finds his mother.
Of course, that's not always the case in foster care, and Billy eventually learns that his mother intentionally left him with the police because she believed he'd be better off without her. She also doesn't think it's a good time to reconnect, and it's more or less implied that she's in no rush to start a relationship with the young hero despite his efforts to find her.
What's important about this arc is that there's an acknowledgement that none of what happened is Billy's fault, which is a message all foster children need to hear regardless of their situation. Billy was affected by his mother's actions, but at the end of the day, she's the one to blame for their separation. Even if the situations aren't the same, any foster child can walk away from this film feeling that their circumstance isn't their own doing.
Another big thing Shazam! gets right about foster kids' emotions is the wide range of ways a child can react to their situation. Each of the kids ended up in the system some way, and each have been shaped by the experience and are coping with it in their own way. One scene in particular that sticks out is Darla's immediate attachment to Billy, and how quick she goes into referring to him as her brother.
The scene gets a big emotional payoff later when Billy tells Darla she doesn't have to call him 'brother,' as they aren't technically a family. Darla is immediately crushed by the statement, and it's the one scene in Shazam! where she could be described as sad. Billy tries to explain to Freddy he didn't mean it to upset her, and Freddy waves him off in an understanding manner while tending to Darla.
It's become one of my favorite scenes of the film because it shows Freddy immediately understands both sides and that no one is at fault. Freddy gets Billy's newcomer status in the family, and the fact that he still has reservations about getting so close to a group of strangers. He also understands Darla's position, and why someone rejecting her offer of inclusion into their foster family is devastating to her.
Freddy has his own problems, as he confesses later to Billy that he's absolutely jealous of his superpowers. Freddy, like most children, just wants to be seen and acknowledged for something other than what he is. No one at the school gives him a lot of acknowledgement, and the ones that do are bullies who frequently tease him for his disability and foster kid status.
Then there's Pedro, Mary and Eugene, who collectively represent another big part of foster kids and Shazam! Mary and Eugene are bright, while Pedro's math test implies he struggles in school. Their personalities are vastly different from each other, and they all seem to have been shaped differently by their varied upbringings.
Someone reading this may think "Well, they're just being portrayed like children," and that's the point. Too often does mass media portray career criminals as "foster children that bounced from home to home" or emotionally fragile kids when there's really not one box to contain them. That's not to say there aren't children who come out of foster care and become two of those prior stereotypes, but there are plenty of children who come out just like the Shazam Family.
These kids are positive role models for a group that, more often than not, is going through things the average child doesn't and shouldn't experience. Many won't complain because it's all they've known, or because they feel uncomfortable doing so in a situation where no one is entirely sure what the future holds for them.
Shazam! can be a great asset to foster families in helping kids and teens in the system tap into those complex feelings, and perhaps serve as a conversation starter into some deeper topics. It's also just a great film that can reinforce to a child in the system that they are special, and that their situation doesn't mean they're destined to become any one thing.
It's why I'm hoping that while the ending of Shazam! established Billy as a part of the Vasquez's foster family, themes relating to foster care continue in Shazam! 2. While Billy's mother didn't seem to want anything to do with him, it would be cool if they had some form of relationship down the road, however complicated that may be. There's also Billy's father who is in prison, so something could be done with him down the road as well.
Shazam! is in theaters and is doing quite well according to the first week numbers at the box office. For more on the film, check out the questions we had following the film's conclusion, and be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for the latest updates on movies, television, and pop culture.
Awesome Doctor Strange Cosplay Brings His Cloak Of Levitation To Life Movies October 24, 2018 No Comments The Incredibles ' Edna Mode might have made the case for why superheroes should ditch capes but she never said anything about a good old-fashioned cloak.
Awesome Doctor Strange Cosplay Brings His Cloak Of Levitation
Could Jackass 4 Happen? Here's What Johnny Knoxville Says
One Problem Kenneth Branagh Has Encountered With Origin Stories Like Artemis Fowl And Thor By Associated Press AP , November 27, 2018 2:14 pm November 27, 2018 Off 64 10 minutes ago
DVDizzy.com • View topic - Artemis Fowl
Sony has revealed that they are no longer pursuing Silver and Black and will likely start with a Black Cat standalone movie first. Aug 9, 2018 Spider-Man Spin-Off Silver & Black Gets Indefinitely
Venom and Silver & Black are in the MCU? - Don't Fall for
The Rotten Tomatoes score for Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 4 has been revealed. Now, the Rotten Tomatoes score for Toy Story 4 has been revealed, and it appears that the film is off to a great
SHAZAM Rotten Tomatoes Score REVEALED - YouTube
John Krasinski Originally Wasn't Going To Do A Quiet Place 2
The late-night host took a beating as Dwayne Johnson's body double. Watch Conan O'Brien try and fail to be The Rock's stunt double Conan O'Brien plays The Rock's stunt double.
Conan O'Brien Trains to Be Dwayne The Rock Johnson's Stunt
"Child's Play" is getting a complete reboot as well as a TV Series to continue the franchise. The reimagining of the original 1988 movie is reportedly eyeing Liv Tyler for the role of Andy's mother. In the original movie, a serial killer voodooed himself into a "Good Guy" doll.
Liv Tyler Wanted For Major Role In Upcoming 'Child's Play' Reboot
Disney is giving Aladdin fans a first look at Will Smith's Genie.. The new take on its animated classic unveiled a trailer on Sunday night during the Grammy Awards, also featuring looks at Jasmine
ALADDIN Teaser Trailer #2 - First GENIE Footage (2019) Will
Time travel is heavily rumored to play a big part in Avengers: Endgameand a new fan theory is taking that idea one step further. Getting the marketing involved in all this, the fan theorizes that
Avengers 4 Fan Theory: Did The Infinity War Trailer Have
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is pretty universally recognized as the worst film in any of the series or generations. It's just… it's just really, really bad. Now, years later, William Shatner, the director of the film as well as playing Kirk, agrees he should have never done it.
William Shatner Regrets Directing Star Trek V: The Final
How Candyman's Jordan Peele And Director Nia DaCosta Bonded Through Horror Fandom Associated Press AP March 25, 2019 7:14 pm March 25, 2019 Off 30 Share This Post
How Candyman's Jordan Peele And Director Nia DaCosta Bonded
free movie streaming youtube
top movie streaming sites
movie streaming firestick
movie streaming illegal
munafik 2 full movie streaming
coco movie streaming
movie q streaming
streaming movie tiger zinda hai
i can speak movie streaming
movie streaming chromecast
movie streaming websites reddit
what movie should i watch streaming
movie streaming urls
aquaman full movie streaming
is the lego movie streaming
movie streaming live
movie streaming free sites
online movie streaming sites
xbox one movie streaming sites 2019
movie streaming sites uk
movie streaming services
free movie streaming app for ipad
movie streaming new releases
movie streaming github
hereditary movie streaming
yify movie streaming
movie streaming data usage
movie streaming philippines
who is streaming the lego movie
yes movie streaming site
zero movie streaming online
best free movie streaming sites uk
captain marvel full movie streaming
movie streaming new zealand
will you be there korean movie streaming
new movie streaming free
would you rather movie streaming vf
movie streaming on xbox one
will and kate movie streaming
there will be blood free movie streaming
prospect movie streaming
movie streaming providers
movie streaming india
john wick full movie streaming
indonesian movie streaming online
the kid who would be king full movie streaming
cold war movie streaming
movie streaming paid
is the post movie streaming
i can only imagine free movie streaming
krampus movie streaming
free movie streaming yahoo answers
lego movie streaming
new movie streaming sites
movie streaming box for tv
movie streaming youtube
justice league movie streaming
who will write our history movie streaming
quality movie streaming sites
youtube movie streaming
would i lie to you streaming french movie
movie streaming for android
jumanji full movie streaming
classic movie streaming
movie streaming xbox one reddit
indian movie streaming
the best free movie streaming sites
is bohemian rhapsody movie streaming
movie streaming template free
what is amazon movie streaming
dilan 1991 full movie streaming
what does movie streaming mean
free movie streaming 123
the little engine that could movie streaming
veere di wedding free movie streaming
movie streaming apk
is movie streaming legal
zero full movie streaming
best worst movie documentary streaming
rudolph the red nosed reindeer movie streaming
how movie streaming sites
best free movie streaming app
best movie streaming websites
movie streaming no account
movie streaming greatest showman
movie streaming hardwarezone
movie streaming apps xbox
latest movie streaming sites
a goofy movie streaming
jelita sejuba full movie streaming online
movie streaming ios
#sandrabullock #watchmvmt #blavity #melaninmagic #watchpornid #socialstreaming #netflixturkiye #filmyorumu #WatchUsRise #blacksocialmedia #birdbox #watchmaniac #blackhistory365 #getsome #watchwomen #SomosTuConexi #HostalCASAMXalameda #watchcrazy #fireworks #movieaddict #murica #melanin #holiday #filmography #watchswag #watchquiz #funnytime #filmtavsiyesi #Qesh #blacksuccess #CASAMXhostales #TVSHow #americanflag #filmlover #Movies #watchhill #Zgerdhiu #watchalert #TvSeries #bff #watchfamily #america #blackbusiness #watchobsessed #independenceday #hostales #netflix #watchingthesunset #WatchMovies #fourthofjuly #watchuswork #blackqueen #blacktech #blackenterprise #watchestyle #WatchJunkie #watchbrandname #FreeMovies #watchmovies #saladetv #moviesstreaming #blackiflix #putitinreverseterry #watchos4 #movietime #4thofjuly #merica #Filma #watchthemoonrise #slay #WatchRoss #watchcandy #Seriale #watchtattoo #watchblogger #blackking #watchluxus #watchnerds #Filmametitrashqip #firecrackers #Serialemetitrashqip #watchenthusiasts #watchful
0 comments:
Post a Comment