Social Psychology in the Movie Pleasantville essay

Social Psychology in the Movie Pleasantville essay

The movie Pleasantville is a touching story directed by Gary Ross. It has not only interesting, but very educative plot based on the psychology of the person. Due to this, the film was nominated for Oscar in three categories, and received other 15 awards and 23 nominations at various film festivals. The film is easy viewed due to the problems that are similar to every person (McDaniel 1998). Thus, watching the movie, many people can recognize themselves in the main heroes.

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The movie begins with a story about the life of a classical botanist David and his sister Jennifer. David is a vicious teenager, who basically cannot find common ground with the outside world, finding an outlet only in the old series, which he can watch endlessly and knows many of them by heart. Jennifer is an ambitious blonde aspiring to gain popularity at school and plans to ensnare the coolest guy. The plot begins with the fact that in one day two events are taking place: the marathon on “Pleasantville” runs on TV, in which participants are invited to answer questions about the film, and the winner gets a huge prize; the concert on MTV is going to be and Jennifer invited her boyfriend to watch it together. Thus, the conflict between David and Jennifer occurs. This night made a bizarre twist in the life of David and his sister: queer technician hands David unusual remote control that sends it, along with his sister, right in Pleasantville. The newcomers’ visit to the city failed completely, miraculously changing lives of its inhabitants.

Everything in this city is absolutely perfect: every detail of life is totally planned out; there is nothing that can upset. Firefighters only save cats from trees; all the books have the blank pages, basketball players always get in the ring. All people in the town are elegant, cheerful and spotless and life is surprisingly pleasant. In general is it a utopian world that attracts David because of its perfectness.

In the movie it can be highly seen the line of forming the person’;s identity. Thus, there is a comparison of two worlds: the real one and the imaginative perfect one. The problem is that neither in the real world nor in the perfect one, people can find their real identity. David is the teenager who doesn’t care about anything at all. His life is twisted among the series of the movie. He is not interested in other things. He is always dreaming to be a citizen of such a btown as Pleasantville, where everything is perfect (Beuka). However, when he turns to be a part of it, this perfectness is becoming annoying. The feelings about the town are not like those that he felt being in front of the TV-set.

People in the town live in black and white world, where everything always goes according to the plan. They believe that it is right and do not want to change anything. Paints are prohibited in their world and are considered to be something indecent and vicious. The appearance of David and his sister Jennifer has turned the entire lives of the residents of a small town. They brought the colors and their true feelings in black and white world. Everybody began to realize how wonderful it is to live in a color world, because life is not black and white. After moving to this “cozy” green city, the main characters begin to understand that the life here is very monotonous. In Pleasantville there is no real love, no fine art. People here do not live for pleasure and not pay much attention to what their life is in reality. Every day they do the same things at the same time (Fisher 1998).

The movie rises up many sociological themes. First of all, the people’s desire to be like everybody else, losing their identity through the influence of the crowd. Thus, the citizens of Pleasantville were trying to be the same: everybody in black and white colors.

However, those who tried to be different, did what he or she wants in reality, and to go off the frames of the town, turns to be colored. Under the slogan “Sex, dru………………………………