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Cinema helps us understand children better. Ten movies that psychologists say should be watched by parents and everyone who raises children – from preschoolers to teenagers.
What films will help you understand the difficulties that growing children have to go through? Psychologist Linda Jones Rufer has compiled a list of paintings that deal with themes of growing up, finding yourself and overcoming difficulties on the way to becoming.
“Films are needed by both children and parents,” says Linda Rufer. – After watching, try to discuss them together and find out what particularly touched you, what seemed familiar and even sore. Perhaps this will help you make the right choice yourself and avoid mistakes.
1. Frozen (2013)
Age: from 6 years
About what: Anna, the princess of the fairy-tale kingdom, goes in search of her sister Elsa, who, having given free rein to her emotions, accidentally cast a spell of eternal winter on the whole country. She has to convince her sister of her love and test her feelings for her chosen one.
What does it teach: selflessness, the ability to understand and express their emotions, the ability to open up to others, to love.
2. Up (2009)
Age: 6-10 years old
About what: Seventy-year-old Carl, after the death of his wife, decides to fulfill her dream: to go to Paradise Falls in South America. He inflates hundreds of balloons that turn his house into an airship. But along with him, the boy scout Russell is in the house, who, by the will of fate, becomes his companion on the journey.
What does it teach: the ability to make friends, despite the difference in age, openness to new experiences, new impressions, a positive image of old age.
3. Puzzle (2015)
Age: 10-11 years old
About what: 11-year-old Riley becomes a teenager. The emotions that control her behavior (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust) cannot cope with new complex experiences. They have to relearn how to interact and create new memories together.
What does it teach: the ability to understand oneself and one’s feelings, the ability to accept changes in life, responsibility for one’s actions.
4 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Age: 8-10 years old
About what: Fox Fox lives with his family in a tree hole right next to the farmers. Once Fox stole chickens, but then he promised his wife to quit. But instincts make themselves felt. Fox decides to rob the farmers again, as a result of which he endangers the entire family.
What does it teach: the ability to control instincts and desires, the ability to act together, to be part of a team, to protect family values.
5. Peaceful Warrior (2006)
Age: 12-13 years old
About what: Young talented gymnast Dan Millman is seriously injured. The meaning of life is lost for him, it seems to him that all the years of training were wasted. However, he meets a mysterious mentor whom he names Socrates. This meeting helps Dan rethink his life and rediscover himself.
What does it teach: perseverance, purposefulness and perseverance, wisdom, a meaningful attitude to life, the ability to overcome disappointments.
6. Going to breakaway (1979)
Age: 12-13 years old
About what: Four friends who recently graduated from high school are trying to achieve fame and success. Dave dreams of Italian culture and, despite his father’s displeasure, aspires to become a cyclist. However, visiting Italian athletes put him in his place. Dave and his friends decide to form their own team to win the race.
What does it teach: authenticity, honesty towards oneself, purposefulness, discipline.
7. Full Moon Kingdom (2012)
Age: 14-15 years old
About what: Teenagers Sam and Susie fall in love and decide to run away from their parents. They are both outcasts in their own way and are trying to become happy together, away from adults who do not understand them and are not interested in their feelings. Local authorities, along with the Boy Scouts, manage to track down the children. But the attempt to separate them fails.
What does it teach: honesty, authenticity, understanding other people, their experiences and motivations, the ability to build trusting relationships.
8 Dead Poets Society (1989)
Age: 15-16 years old
About what: A new literature teacher comes to a prestigious boys’ school. He awakens in them an interest in poetry and life, reminding them that life is fleeting and one should always strive for the most important. He revives a secret literary club, the Dead Poets Society, which soon finds itself at the center of a scandal caused by the suicide of one of its students.
What does it teach: courage, the ability to defend oneself and one’s interests, curiosity, the desire for knowledge.
9. Adolescence (2014)
Age: 14-16 years old
About what: The film tells the story of Mason’s life, from the first day of school to the first day of college. The hero grows, matures, gets acquainted with the world of adults, discovers love and sexual attraction. The film was an experiment directed by Richard Linklater: the shooting lasted 12 years, and the lead actor grew up along with his hero.
What does it teach: the ability to make a choice, realize its consequences, understanding the complexity of life and the world around us, introspection, understanding oneself, one’s desires and motives.
10. Juno (2008)
Age: 15-17 years old
About what: Sixteen-year-old Juno finds out she’s pregnant. Now she faces a difficult choice: keep the child, give him up for adoption or raise her own.
What does it teach: the ability to make choices in difficult circumstances, a responsible attitude to life – one’s own and someone else’s, self-confidence.