'Kidulthood', 'Adulthood' and 'Fish Tank'

'Anti-Youth' or 'Pro-Youth' Film?

Kidulthood
This film is an Anti-Youth film as it portrays youths in a negative light through many different negative representations and exaggorates the negatives in a youths life. There are also not many positives for the youths in this film. Kildulthood is more of a comedy to youths rather than a serious media text which sends them a positive message. The film consists of Drug use, handling of illegal fire arms and other illegal weapons, underage sex, murder, colloquialisms and much more.

Adulthood
I believe that Adulthood is an Anti-Youth film also. Although in this film all of the characters from Kidulthood are a lot more mature and trying to make things better between one another, the title and the age of the characters implies that they are only more mature and doing these things because they are Adults now. As youths, these exact same characters are the ones who cause all of these problems, commit these crimes and behave so indecent but now that they are adults they are portrayed to be well behaved and mature. This implies that youths are the problem and adults are the solution.

Fish Tank
I believe that Fish Tank is a Pro-Youth film. Although throughout the film there are many negative representations of youths, it also implies that there is hope for youths and a positive side to them. This is not done directly, but instead through encoding of the text by the director and decoding by the audience. With Adulthood and Kidulthood, when a youth watches these films there arte no positives to take from them where as with Fish Tank, a youth can watch this film and decode the positive message of hope erasing all nehilism which the youth feels.


Accurate to actual experiences of teenagers?

Kidulthood
This film is not an accurate interpretation of experiences with teenagers. This film is very exaggorated, taking realistic events and making them unrealistic, often adding humour for the audience. An example of this is the speech and the colloquialisms in the film. They took slang words which youths really do use in real life but use them compulsively whereas in real life these words would be used often. Also it is very unlikely that so many youths wo are so indecent would all go to the same school, so the film implies that all/majority of youths are the way which they are portrayed in this film.

Adulthood
I believe that unlike Kidulthood, Adulthood is a lot less exaggorated and realistic.

An adult fascination of youth? How so?
Conforming To stereotypes circulated by news media?
Who makes these media texts and for who?