Christmas movie: don’t blame youth. Blame your misunderstanding of youth

We settled down to watch the customary Christmas movie. It’s the usual mix of Bond films and now a regular, Jimmy Stewart’s It’s a wonderful life (1946). It’s a story about an Angel who changes the fortunes of Stewart’s character to show he’s much loved and suicide is not the answer. There’s a lightness and comedic touch to it, which Director Frank Cappra brought to the short story-turned screen play.

But it’s in black and white, was one of the choruses. So instead inside my niece’s personal cinema room we watched The Women King (2022). It’s a story about a formidable women’s regiment in the Dahomey kingdom ( West Africa) in the 1800s who fight of other tribes and rid their land of slave traders.

But it’s quite violent, I thought, but then so it Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Two different films, but The Women King was the choice.

It reminded me of a presentation I’d given to UK teachers at the British Film Institution’s yearly conference.

Research shows that generally the younger you are the less invested you’re in with characters, rather than plot. And where characters are pivotal your autobiographical self , what you’ve experienced, shapes how you’ll become immersed in a film.

Holding screen attention comes with an array of devices and Black and White films, don’t quite cut it for the visual stimuli against Instagram schema tones.

But something else, whilst Christmas movies are designed to be innocuous and family-friendly, how relevant or out of date is that thinking? At a time when families of all generations gather, and hence will more often than not enjoy the company and space they occupy, why not pick a film with a social message. Indeed you’d argue It’s a wonderful life is that; it’s a reflective one.

Yet against a backdrop of misrepresented narratives throughout history and pending chaos, isn’t it time there was a wider debate about movies during this season where corrective reflection and looking forward is important.

Where younger audiences are given greater consideration, and a film tips what has been a conventionalised understanding of issues, isn’t that a reason to re-think Christmas film choices. There could be many more films, let alone The Woman King that vie for that title, but it did spark the thought nonetheless. Afihyia Pa, as they say in Twi.