Friday, May 23, 2014
X-Men: Days of Future Past Adoption Movie Review
What if you could change your past? In the future, war rages
between specially-gifted mutants and the unmutated humans who distrust them.
The humans seek to eliminate the mutants, believing that if they do not
eliminate them, humankind will be eliminated. The mutants fight back – some fueled
by the belief that they are the new evolution of humankind, and some only
fighting in defense. Even in a time of
war, there are some who wish and work for peace. One mutant is able to
understand when and how the fighting started, and fortunately, another mutant
is able to project people through time. Wolverine is charged with travelling
through time to convince enemies to work together for peace, and to convince
injured parties to not seek revenge. He hasn’t been particularly known for his emotional
sensitivity, but he’s the only one who can make the trip.
How is this Relevant
to Adoption?
In my previous reviews of X-Men films [Click the title for
the review you want: X-Men, X-Men 2: X-Men United; X-Men 3: The Last Stand; X-Men:First Class] I’ve commented that the X-Men have a different life experience than
the people around them, that sometimes this creates a divide between them and
the people around them, and that they sometimes struggle to deal with the life
that has been dealt to them. Some embrace others, some exclude and distrust
others. It’s possible that adoptees may relate to these experiences. In X-Men:
Days of Future Past, mistrust has grown to catastrophic proportions. The
mutants are excluded from society. We’re able to see how, over time, fear and
mistrust have spiraled into hatred, broken relationships, and beyond. And then
the film asks, “how did this spiral get started, and how could it have been
different?” For folks who are angry and hurt by their adoption story, this film
might be a chance to reflect on how life could have been different and an
invitation to reflect on what might make life better. For adoptees (and first
parents, and adoptive parents) in general, the theme of being able to change or
influence the past can be fascinating. (That theme is covered in a more directly
adoption-related way in Meet the Robinsons).
Strong Points
The film holds out hope that broken relationships can be
restored, and that people making poor choices will not necessarily continue in
that direction. One character affirms, “Just because someone stumbles and loses
their way, it doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.”
The film shows how hate fuels hate.
One character is doubting his abilities, but is told by
another, “Your best is enough.”
The film has an empowering message that the future is shapeable.
Weak Points
Some scenes might be triggers for children or teens who were
abused or neglected: one character is held to a fire, another is impaled, and
there are some detailed scenes of IV drug use.
Recommendation
X-Men: Days of Future Past is probably going to be weekend
viewing for most teenage boys (and teenage girls?) this weekend. It’s a
large-scale superhero film that might have a slightly darker feel than some of
the other X-Men movies. It’s not an adoption movie at all, but there are some
questions that you might drop into discussion with your teen after watching the
film together, and some questions that you might reflect on, yourself. The film
probably isn’t a good fit for kids who are triggered by violence or drug use,
and probably isn’t a good fit for kids younger than 9 or 10, also because of
the violence.
Questions for
Discussion after the film
If you could go to your childhood (or early childhood) and
give yourself some advice, what would it be?
If you could ask something of your future self, what would
you ask?
What change do you wish you could make in the world? What
change do you wish you could make in yourself? Are those changes related? Would
the change in yourself allow the change you want to make in the world to come
from a more genuine place?
What parts of your past do you wish you could rewrite? (Let
your kids answer this without fear of judgment!)
Have you ever had to work with people you didn’t get along
with, for the good of someone else?
What is the role of hope in your life?
Do you think the future is “set” by fate, or is it something
that we can actively shape?
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Hi Addison,
ReplyDeleteI have just discovered your blog. It's a great resource! Thank you for putting all that work in.
Funnily enough I have just watched a film about adoption. I am not sure it's on the blog (I couldn't find it). It is called "Like Father, Like Son" and it is great. Maybe you want to check it out? It's on iTunes.
All the best
Yolande
Hi Yolande! Thanks so much for your comment. I haven't heard of "Like Father, Like Son," but I'll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation, and thanks for saying hi and the kids words. Please share the blog with anyone you think would like it :)
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