Film literacy provides queer representation
One of the most hauntingly beautiful movies I have ever seen is “I Saw The TV Glow,” a film that made me feel so incredibly recognized and represented as a queer person, and a movie that is misunderstood by many people. “I Saw The TV Glow” presents a story of life and escapism for LGBTQ+ people and is portrayed very symbolically, presenting the reason it is highly misunderstood by many people. The subliminal style of so many movies similar to “I Saw The TV Glow” that provide queer representation create the necessity for film literacy.
Film literacy is the ability to interpret films and media in a social context, and is a crucial tool for the representation of queer people in media. By utilizing people’s understanding of film messaging without explicit explanation, deeper meaning is able to be put into said films, and messages are able to be relayed to communities that understand them. Not only is larger representation of LGBTQ+ people possible through metaphors in film, but also through more subtle representation. I have seen many movies that contain plot lines that can easily be understood with subtle queer undertones. “Sky High” can be seen as portraying the struggle of coming out to a family you do not think will accept you, “Bend It Like Beckham” discreetly depicts the struggle to express yourself as a queer person when the people around you want you to be someone else, and even “Frozen” can be interpreted as a story of accepting one’s queer identity.
However, metaphorical movies are sometimes heavily criticized because not everyone possesses the same level of film literacy or has the same life experiences as others. To reference “I Saw The TV Glow” again, numerous negative reviews of the movie called it “plotless” and “unentertaining” because they were not able to read into the metaphor of neglecting to accept one’s queer or trans identity until it drives you almost to insanity, an experience that is not widespread to everyone.
Combating illiteracy in films can be difficult in a time where it is so easy to release your thoughts, especially on the internet, without diving deeper into the topic of conversation, but one of the only ways to do so is to become more educated on life experiences outside of the ones you experience yourself. The degradation in film literacy I have seen is disheartening, especially as someone who seeks out representation in media through metaphorical depictions of life experiences.
