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aspiestvmusings · 6 years

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The problem with people who see everything as “problematic” on screen (film/TV)

(MILD) SPOILERS FOR “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY” (2018) FILM

...because I use this film as an example

ALSO ... “UNPOPULAR” PERSONAL OPINION

In short:

1. However untruthful you think the surviving band members POV & take on things & Freddie are, their take is closer to truth than your fan take on things that relies only on hearsay (everything you think you know as fact comes through “journalist” or “gossip” filter - so everything is someone elses take on the man & the events. Even his other friends & co-workers & family members take on him are just someones take on things. That doesn’t make them any more truthful than the bands take on things. Just one POV of so many.

2. Though biography, it is still a fictional film. This is not a biography book, or a documentary, and people need to stop expecting biopic films be like documentaries - chronologically, factually, and otherwise correct in every detail. How does it still surprise people that a biopic film is still a film. With a script... that is “loosely” based on reality, but “tweaked” to fit the movie script standards & tell a story... Its still entertainment.

3. When will the critics stop focusing on the politics & start focusing on the legend? You can have whatever opinions you wish, but it doesn’t mean your take is correct. And mostly... as the film, too, hinted... Freddie didn’t care for the politics, or the labels. He cared about the music, about his cats, about the fans, and about his loved ones. He lived his life as his authentic self (as much as it was possible these decades ago, when being openly “queer” was not so “welcomed”), and he refused any labels & being a poster boy for anyone...any minority he belonged to. He lived & defined the label, the label didn’t “define “him.

4. The fans projecting their own wishes on him - claiming that this or that label defined him, or that he’d wanted this or that - is the opposite of what Freddie would have wanted. A lot of the things that are disliked by many are actually based on facts & real events - and any wishful thinking doesn’t change them. It baffles me how fans,who claim to have a lot of insight only take claims from certain sources as the ultimate truth, but not respect Freddie’s own wishes & preferences - the things he said in many interviews. The little he shared of his personal life. And it’s kinda funny in a sad way that what some people claim some groups of people have done to them, is exactly the same (tactic) they are using on those other people. #cryptic

The problem is that these people only see the package/the labels, not the real product inside/the message and story itself.

The problem is that the message isn’t that because they see the man/woman relationship portrayed as “good/happy” & the “man/man” relationship as “bad/negative”, forgetting that that view is based on their personal POV. The story itself doesn’t do that. The sexes of the characters are not important. The point is that they are showing two different experiences. It just happens that in this case the negative one is involving a man. Because this is actually accurate - that was one of the things they copied from real life (in general, not in detail). Because yes, they took liberty in changing facts/timeline... to fit the story in 2 hrs, and have an ongoing plot. But they also kept several things as they actually did happen. And in his case the long-term positive pre-diagnosis relationship was with a woman, and negative one was with a man. And if you completely dismiss the ending...and the Jim scenes and that part of the story...then you didn’t really pay attention to what the film was actually showing & telling you. If your brain in wired to make the assumption that you can transfer one (bad) example to every case... if your brain likes to generalize and you truly think that just because one example is like this, then the same can apply to every case... then I am truly sorry that you are unable to think outside the box, and not stereotype and generalize everything. I honestly can’t imagine living this way/with such thought process.

The problem is that the “breaking off engagement” scene isn’t telling you that either of the labels used in that scene is singular truth or accurate. The fact is that those were the exact words used by the real people... during the real-life moment that scene is based on. This is another scene that is copied from real life (not timeline wise, but lines wise). The problem is that it is your assumption that everything said in films/tv is fact. And that everyone must think that just because some statement is made on screen, it is the truth, and everyone will see it this way. Well... in that case... why don’t we say that characters on crime-shows, who are the villain of the week saying that they committed the crime, because they had the “right to” are correct? Why is this applied to “political/identity” issues themes on screen? Why do the complainers take one characters opinion as the universal truth? Every single character in fictional stories is only saying what they personally think/how they see things (based on their perception of things...at that moment). And that scene is all about...mostly... how his self-search really begun. And the scenes between that moment and the tea party moment is really about his journey (”back”) to “happiness”, and towards his true, authentic self... finding himself. And because it is not an easy journey... we get to see the bumps on the way. The wrong turns. But we don’t get to see it all. To assume that what is actually shown is the whole story... specially in the case of this man (he himself IRL always preferred to not be labeled, always kept work and personal apart, and was very private..off stage... and never confirmed anything)... is silly IMO. Like.. if you don’t get that not showing him interact with other women after he met Paul means that what you see is all there is, is silly. There is so much of the real on stage & backstage & personal story that was not shown. Those are the parts that you get to add yourself for the fictional story & discover on your own for the real life story...by reading about him...watching old videos/interviews, listening to their music... it’s not erasing anything. It’s just not showing everything....because this is a 2hr film that covers 15 years of history & adding more threads just isn’t possible...

They do not portray any of the characters as simply good or bad. Every character has many sides. We see Freddie’s “wild life” shown, too. Some say that was missing, but it wasn’t. It was there, though in more subtle, hinted way. The white powder on the table, the “inappropriate” behaviour - when he first met Jim (and during the big party scene... when he used the same move on a fat-bottomed girl on a bicycle). We saw the other band-members with new girls & groupies in different scenes. We saw how behind-the-scenes politics tried to make them change them - record company vs the band & the band staying true to themselves & making an operatic album, and choosing their own single song..etc. There were so many little details in so many scenes...that were all references to the real-life moments. Tweaked...a bit.And yes, I admit that not everyone can “read between the lines” & understand movie plots that aren’t spelled out word-to-word...exactly, but... that doesn’t mean the film is lacking. Just because you don’t see or get something doesn’t mean it’s not there/shown/said. You might just not catch it, because you’re focused on the superficial.

And if even my own mother (who has a hard time following complicated film plots) saw that everything... Freddie’s different relationships (women, men), his partying & lavish lifestyle, his illness, his bigger-than-life personality, and his music, plus his complex person (the loneliness, sadness, not just the good times)... all were touched upon in the film, then in my book if you missed it, you didn’t pay attention. She saw it all being “shown/mentioned”, and some people might have wanted more, and more focus on those parts, but... that’s just personal expectations, and forgetting this is a fictional film, not a documentary, so you’re gonna have to have a flowing story...that fits 15-20 years of events into 2 hours of film, and you simply can’t focus on everything in more depth. The film makers this time chose to focus on these elements...to tell the story of the band...with a focus on Freddie & his POV.

Do not assume that every viewer is so closed-minded and can’t see beyond what’s been physically shown . Viewers are actually very much capable of drawing conclusions.. on wider scale, and not assuming that things said or shown in a fictional story (even if it’s marketed as biopic) are the only truths, and there is nothing more to the story. The problem is that most of the people who see the scene as “problematic” have no actual understanding of what the world was like just 40 years ago. Its like time-travelling to 16th century and judging people of that time for not understanding light-bulbs or plastic surgery, or women and men all studying together in school... being equal. If you do not count in the time when the film takes place, you’re not getting it. (just like in a film taking place when women weren’t yet able to go to uni or be elected...ignoring those realities of those times... just to not offend the political correctness cult people, who can’t appreciate the freedom we have today in out western world) In other words: WHEN a film takes place matters. Just like a period piece from 1550, 1860 are different, because times were different, same is with films taking place in 1970/80s. Language, terms, norms, knowledgeability... all change... and even in a few decades... So their thoughts represent the actual era...when they were spoken, not todays views. (and IMO the horrible trend of changing words & things from books & plays (also popular children's books) from 100 and 150 and 200 years ago... that tells you of how things were back then, just to match todays political correctness rules... is super sad, and “erasing the past”... and instead of giving an actual view of the past, we get distorted view, and I think this doesn’t help future generations in understanding how far we have come)

And mostly... I want to ask the complainers to ask themselves why do they consider Mary’s words to have more weight than Freddie’s...in the “break up scene”. What makes them think there wasn’t a follow-up conversation later, off-screen? What makes them think that other peoples view of them (in this case Mary’s opinion on Freddie’s sexuality) is the singular truth? In truth...none of us (besides Freddie, and maybe the people closest to him...family, band, close friends/lovers) truly know how he identified as... and it does not matter. No matter how much you think it does, it doesn’t. He was simply an “icon” for “everyone different”. The labels don’t matter. You can all claim him as “your own”... (and let others do the same). I get that it’s vitally important to some to have their “label” be shown/mentioned on media sources (films/TV), but the argument gay vs bi is so pointless in this case. From the film you can both claim him as your representation. In the films universe he was shown to have genuinely loved & have a relationship with both a man & a woman - Mary and Jim (pos), and also Paul (neg). You can take the film in either way (cause they don’t define anything)... if its so important for you to have your label being the defining point.

The problem isn’t that the film “erased” or “mis-(re)presented” this or that... historical or personal fact/thing. The problem is the way the brains of the people who say this happened. Humans are wired to transfer their feelings and thoughts onto everything and everyone. To project. And to generalize and label everything. And it takes a little bit of extra use of the “little gray cells” to see the bigger picture, and not to stereotype, generalize and project. To not box everything. And understand that their own personal experiences have tilted their view on ... things... Not everyone can read between the lines, and understand complicated tv/film plots, and not take others opinions/POV as fact. I always used to say that studies claiming that videogames & TV make kids (future adults) behave as in the fictional worlds & claiming that people aren’t able to distinguish fiction from reality and not see fiction as “the source of all accurate & scientific truth” as silly, but modern social media age has made me rethink. As it seems that that’s whats happened. Media (films, TV shows, magazine articles are) is considered as trusted sources... and seen as the source that tells you how things really are - what to believe, how to think... (when I was a kid I considered scientific material as trusted source, now any random line from a fictional story or from gossip magazine is considered as trusted source...by so many). And representation in film/TV does not have to be sanitized & all positive...cause nothing is that...and characters not following the “political correctness rules of 2018″ in films set in past is not erasure or misrepresentation or harmful in any way. It’s portraying the world as it is. Not a perfect, utopian version. Because times are different & people are different). Just because a character doesn’t speak according to the rules made up by today's social media groups does not make them phobic in any way. I understand that is a hard concept to get, but..it is so.

The issue isn’t if the film portrayed his identity incorrectly, erasing something. The problem is that the people seeing this happen are only able to see that one side of things. And claim that their label is accurate, because it’s based on facts, and what the man himself labeled himself as. When the truth is that no-one besides the people close to him (friends, family, band)...and maybe even not them... knew how he actually identified himself. he never confirmed or denied anything in public (ETA: I have found info...though not seen/heard the material myself... that there are one or two unedited videos/interviews, where he pretty much reveals how he identifies, but besides that one/few times... all other times he’s only ever not labeled himself). He never labeled himself...as anything (other than human, singer, rock legend...). Both sides claiming that their label is factual...are actually wrong. They are claiming other peoples opinions as facts. All the “unofficial biographies”, all the claims by “people who knew him”, all the terms used by journalists and others...are those peoples interpretation of him (and yes, the claims from band & his closest life-long friends: “Phoebe”, etc... can be pretty much seen as fact, but their views are still their interpretations of him). The labels they gave him, not how he himself identified. (and yes, based on all the images, video footage, his behaviour & looks - clothes/hair/make-up..) we can make assumptions...but those are just our guesses..based on what we think we see) And the issue isn’t which label is correct. The issue is peoples inability to enjoy the film, and celebrate the man...without a specific label being thrown out. And this goes against everything he was, everything he wanted, everything he represented. He lived as is authentic self (even if it took some time and struggles to really find himself) and not care about labels, opinions. He tried to live for himself, as himself. Not for others. The labels didn’t make him (and its unimportant which label he truly identified as)... as both (most used options) are represented in the film... said out loud on big screen. And so both groups should feel represented, because both labels got used (about him)... and neither was claimed as fact. Despite anyones take that the scene somehow claimed one accurate, and other not.

(I fall under a non-traditional label, too, when it comes to sexuality, and I appreciate when there is a character like me on TV/films, but... my worth is not defined by if & how “my label” is represented in fiction.) And I get that I’m different in that way & for “normal people” external validation & representation are needed to feel good about themselves, but... here’s a little secret - (and that was also this films message, in a way) - don’t let anyone else define you - not your parents/family, not your friends, not your fans & idols, not the strangers. The path to self-like is hard, and sometimes long, but the only one who needs to like you is you. You’re not defined by others with the same label. You share the one label with others, but everyone with this label is different. Also... there are heroes & villains in every “group”, but none of those traits are transferable to others in that group. Just because there is one negative gay character in film (Paul) does not mean other gay characters are like that (see: Jim). Just because you’ve heard gossip about the rock stars personal life does not mean it’s all true. Everyone has their own perspective & agenda. And unless it came from Freddie himself, it’s just an opinion. So every single post claiming that “I know he identified as this, because..:” are all just personal opinions, because none of us, fans, knew him. And as much as you may disagree with the band-members & friends take on things... they knew him....so much better than any of us. They are a valid source for info on him...(even if they do change some facts...to fit a movie narrative)

The issue is that no matter how much the man himself in the interviews (etc) that are still available to access, and no matter how much the man who portrayed him on screen now...stress the importance of no labels, and how he was himself, not a “poster boy for any agenda”, the complainers don’t care, and show no respect for the mans wishes, and the story itself. A story about a band...for people. a story of a man searching for himself and his place. a story of music and legends. A story about how legends were made. It’s not some political correctness fest, satisfying all the “label enthusiasts” dreams... it’s a pretty honest look (even considering all the timeline twisting, and creative liberties taken) into the reality of things... those several decades ago. The complainers completely miss the message - they need to like themselves as they are (gay, bi, extra teeth, foreigner, outcast...)...not pretend for others sake. They can find the man as a role model & representation of their label... because he was & can be more than one label & represent more than just one group. The truth is not singular here - and both the film & real Freddie are representation for all different “outcast” & “minority” labels - not just one. And the arguments that he was just one thing sound a bit silly - both sides calling the other side wrong, when in truth Freddie represents you/us all.

My conclusion: Fiction/Films are so much more enjoyable, when you are able to see & hear and understand all the nuances - you get the whole experience...not just the superficial and general idea of the story. And I am so happy that I didn’t have to watch this film from inside a box... because my visual field wasn’t narrowed (like I'm a race horse wearing blinders), and my brain... with the aid of my eyes... was able to show and tell me the whole story and whole experience... without any restrictions. And I am still not ready to say more plot-wise, because I do not want to spoil some great scenes...

btw...go ahead and make assumptions about me..based on this. I dare you. ;)

I’m someone who loves pointing out scientific inaccuracies & little continuity errors in films/TV shows (but mostly for fun). I’m someone, who doesn’t fit into specific boxes, and someone who is not traditional. I’m someone who is different...in many ways... but doesn’t let it define me or consume me... I’m someone who doesn’t define themselves by their past experiences... in the extent I see some do. I’m someone, who has experienced... quite a bit... but I’m also someone who isn’t defined by how others see & define me... I’m someone who belongs to many “minority” groups...if I were to list the labels that apply to me, but all of these things are parts of me.... and none demand any outside validation from others to “define” me.

#random #my thoughts #movies #films #BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

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