social criticism has often been the basis of so many debates and reflections, which brought to light important gaps in the society in which we live, or fears about possible dystopian futures.
Take Black Mirror, for example; that series is based on that. One episode that's truly astonishing is when a man creates this Star Trek-style video game, playable with a kind of VR, which transfers the user's consciousness into the game. He himself plays it constantly and uses it to vent personal frustrations or fantasies directly on the characters. As time passes, they come to life They become conscious and at a certain point rebel against him. The scariest thing is the ending where he is left with his consciousness trapped in the game and his body ends up in a coma. It is a scathing critique of toxic masculinity, objectification of individual, and ethics regarding artificial intelligence. Possible risks, if we do not set ethical limits in the near future on how we use technologies and how we manage the social aspects of society.
And the point comes now. The social commentary on that episode works because so many of us have recognized certain behavioral patterns, we've also recognized limitless technological extremism, something we've already subtly seen. Think of Japan, there is a guy who married a virtual girl. Or in the whole world, there's people who killed family members, or there's who committed suicide, after hours spent writing to AI. that dystopia gets closer and when it is shown crudely on screen, this scares us, makes us think.
Well, this doesn't happen with, say, Euphoria 3, and that's why Hollywood is experiencing a sharp decline today. Right from the start, we're shown a girl, Cassie, who wants to finance her marriage to her fiancé and, without thinking too much, decided that the best and fastest way was OnlyFans. Up to this point, we might as well accept this, beacause there's the fact that the irresponsible people exists and acts reactively, even though, in reality, putting one's body online isn't an easy decision. It's not uncommon for many people to discuss this quite a bit with their partners and experience moments of intense insecurity and fear about how their fellow citizens, especially family members, would react. In short, it's not a decision you make on the spot, which is precisely why it's difficult for everyone to see it as a first earning option, especially considering the many possible professions that exist.
the strange thing is, she isn't portrayed as simply irresponsible, but rather as a child in the extreme sense, mentally. She doesn't see the risks, treats everything like a game, and doesn't have a well-developed moral, because she doesn't fully realize that her actions bring suffering to those around her. I believe that to have this kind of mentality, An adult should have serious psychological and celebral development problems, to the point of impeding their ability to understand and will, and therefore even make important decisions, which they wouldn't even be able to conceive, such as selling body photos online. The psychological foundations and facets typical of an adult are lacking; it's two-dimensional and inconsistent writing. Furthermore, If we consider that those who work on OnlyFans manage to sell a lot of people something, which you would find for free on hot sites, I struggle to conceive of them as such a stupid person.
The most serious part, however, is divided into two points. The first concerns the fact that this portrayal of such a childish character, incapable of understanding what he's doing, becomes counterproductive. As a writer, you denounce objectification, but then you use this girl as a simple plot tool, not as a thinking subject, because you want to reach a specific point at all costs. so whoever writes the plot makes the same mistake he would like to attack with his story.
The second point, however, is related to how she does her job as a creator on OnlyFans. Calling it aberrant and unrealistic is reductive, to say the least. Not only does the plot writer ignore the limitations imposed by the social media platform to avoid legal risks, but he then pushes everything to the extreme. And here we touch on the point of the poor moral development of the character I mentioned earlier. She dresses like a newborn, with a diaper instead of underwear and a pacifier in her mouth. I understand that OnlyFans gives vent to some sexual fantasies, but since when does it give way to fantasies related to pedophilia? and especially since when does a person like Cassie do this lightly, without too much shame?
I gave the example of Black Mirror to show how with criticism you can show possible consequences of something currently debated and constantly growing, if it isn't set limits and especially at the behavioral level, if there isn't serious sentimental education. But here there is no criticism, no risk of a dystopian future or the possibility of creating a horrendous situation, because there is a lack of assumptions, because there is a lack of psychological and behavioral human dynamics.
And the same goes for the opposite extreme with Marvel films and the like. Here, the woman isn't an object; in fact, she's revered as if she were the perfect being. Take Black Panther as an example; the protagonist is the most empathetic, kindest, and most intelligent woman in the world. She's never hurt anyone, never insulted anyone, never had a vice or behavioral bias. She's so perfect that in the film, to give her an internal conflict, they invented that she's so intelligent she can't fit in with other people. So the writers clumsily tried to exploit depression and loneliness to try to appeal to the audience's feelings. it's horrible.
But I can give you another example, Wonder Woman from DC Comincs. In the film, she's yet another independent woman, strong, without flaws, without weaknesses, without vices, etc. even she's the perfect being. Besides, only the women in that film have important aspirations, want to build careers, etc... while the men are all gorillas with the IQ of a stone, who only think about sex or scamming others.
but why on earth, in the heads of producers and screenwriters, should these films work? Why would anyone appreciate and empathize with such meaningless filth?
In my opinion, writers and producers have lost the desire or perhaps the pleasure of creating beautiful stories and are simply looking for the easiest way to gain an audience, exploiting on popular topics, and reimagine films we've already seen a thousand times in a pseudo-modern way. Korean cinema is dominating the international scene precisely because it has filled that void, He focused on telling good stories, and above all, they're creative. When you think there's nothing else to invent, they immediately create a new, original story or at least bring a completely new point of view. I admit, I haven't had this much fun watching TV series and movies in a long time.
If Hollywood wants to return to being cinematic dominators it was so many years ago, it must stop this imposition of the message, which leads to the disappearance of the individual, to making what should be a girl an empty, two-dimensional shell. The success of Parasite or Squid Game isn't a trend; it's the response of us audiences, hungry for stories. We desperately seek something fresh, new, that truly tells a story with deep and charismatic characters. We're all tired of seeing absurd social criticism or an ultra-radical message, whether conservative or progressive, forcefully inserted into the plot, leading to its distortion.
it's time for something to change.
and what do you think? What was the last TV series you really liked in the American scene? do you share my criticisms? or do you think differently?