The deliberated decision in children’s mainstream cinema: On socialization in the discourse of freedom

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to highlight a trend in the narrative use of decisions that reinforces a widely accepted discourse of freedom. Through a discursive analysis focusing on contemporary mainstream screenwriting, it explores the relationship between the protagonist’s decision and the climax of the story. This relationship is shaped by the need for a change between the darkest moment and the climax, and causality between the events and the conflict that triggers them. The decision is a standardized possibility compatible with these principles, reproducing a discourse of freedom upheld by numerous social institutions despite the problems and dysfunctions pointed out by its critics. This freedom is underpinned by the notion of individual authenticity, which promises that anything can be achieved as long as nothing hinders the individual or his/her power to make decisions. Specifically, the article highlights a channel through which this discourse influences the sector of the public that is most sensitive to socialization processes: children and youth. With the normalized practice of screenwriting and without necessarily being aware of the fact, screenwriters can reproduce this discourse of freedom and thereby take part in reinforcing its social legitimacy.