Movie Convention Research: Turning Red

Turning Red is the perfect example of a coming-of-age film. Released in 2022 and directed by Domee Shi, Turning Red focuses on a 13-year-old girl named Mei going through magical puberty. She turns into a giant red panda when any exuberant emotion comes her way. Fortunately, her closest friends stick by her side when this happens and aid in making Mei more comfortable in her new body. Her mother, on the other hand, wants nothing more than for her little girl to stay her little girl. Throughout this movie, we see an uphill battle that Mei faces when she is learning how to balance her newfound interests and her child-likeness. Although there are many awkward scenes in this movie, they are not there to make the audience uncomfortable. Instead, they exist to laugh at and make it more relatable. For example, when Mei's mom finds out she has a crush on a boy, Mei feels complete and utter guilt for even feeling that way. Looking at this from a bit of an older perspective, I find it relatable yet humourous how Mei feels like she's done something wrong simply by feeling normal pre-teen emotions. My favorite coming-of-age films all have this in common: the cringe mixed with the comedy. At the end of the movie, Mei's mom learns to accept her daughter's special abilities, but more importantly, the fact that she is growing up. Although this movie is primarily about Mei and her transformation into becoming a teenager, one of the core moments in the movie is when Mei speaks to her mom. They speak about how even though their relationship is changing, Mei will never stop loving her mom. How young adults perceive their connections is crucial in this genre of film. Of course, it is not all about seriousness in a young person's life. What Turning Red builds up to is a boy band concert that Mei and her friends want to go to. These brightly colored, preppy bands are identical to bands that real-life pre-teens have loved over the years like NSYNC  and One Direction. Overall, these films make us more comfortable with the things we went through in our developmental years and remind us of how far we've come from who we once were.

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