by Jessica Meng
Starring James Dean, "Rebel Without A Cause" reveals the story behind the seeming happiness and contentment of teenagers from decent suburban families. Cast to portray Jim Stark, a new kid who recently moved to town. Dean plays a social misfit who captures the attention of the school bullies even before his first day at school. Upholding the conventions of a Teen film, he encounters trouble from his peers and is befriended by Plato, who is also a social outcast. In the opening sequence, Jim offers a freezing Plato his warm jacket and thus exposes his kind nature. It is the accidental slip of showing his gentleness that ears Jim's character the sympathy of the audience, which is another attribute the protagonist of a Adolescent film must possess. Another example of "Rebel's" faithfulness to the Coming of Age Genre is Jim's open display of his interest in Judy by offering her a ride to school. Rejected by the attractive and popular girl, he spends much of his time trying to win her affections as well as the acceptance of her friends. True to form, her initial rejection gradually turns into a growing attraction. Judy's interest in Jim increases day by day until dramatic change of events when Buzz dies in the chickie fight. With her boyfriend's death, she finally accepts Jim's affection. Meanwhile, Jim deals with the overbearing mother and subordinate father that make up his dysfunctional family. Possessing awkward and confused values, his parents prevent him from telling the truth to the police while other parents drag their children to the police station. Not only does Jim struggle to fit into society, he fights to understand his upturned family. Jim's internal conflict is physically portrayed by his father who is the epitome of the "chicken" that he refusesto be. A resolution is only achieved at the end of the movie when his father stands up for Jim as well as for himself against his dominating wife. Only then is Jim able to accept both himself and his father. Most importantly, he is finally able to develop a better understanding of himself.
On the other hand, although "Girlfight" featuring Michelle Rodriguez as Diana Guzman tells a coming of age story, it focuses on the female gender. Not only does it deal with the obstacles of young adulthood, it also draws attention to the issue of gender in the stages of growing up. In addition to being caught between a child's realm and an adult's realm, Diana is also torn between accepting her femininity and sexuality, and proving herself in a chauvinist's world. Obeying the conventions of a Coming of Age film, Diana is a social outcast who's best and only friend is Marisol, another girl who also has problems being accepted by the popular crowd. Determined to transform her excess energies and pent up aggression into the positive outlet of boxing, she trains against her father's will. In the process, she develops an attraction to Adrian and experiences her female sexuality for the fist time. Eventually, the story resolves itself and although her father never supports her, she is able to stand up to him and confront him about his sexist and violent nature. In the end, Diana not only achieves victory in the ring, but also in the arena of love as Adrian finally admits his feelings for her and breaks up with his on again off again girlfriend, swallows his pride, and decides to be with her despite loosing to her in the boxing match.
Clearly, many similarities between these two films can be seen despite the changes that occurred in the passage of time between the making of these two movies. Both films imply the same thematic concepts: growing up as an outcast, overcoming peer pressures, and confronting authoritarian parents. Undoubtedly, the most important aspect of these movies is achieving a resolution with the family. In "Rebel", Jim's father reconciles with him and finally takes the initiative to stand up for himself and his son. After much anxiety and conflict, Jim at last, is able to gain peace of mind from the newfound support his father promises. Likewise, Diana also finds resolution. Unfortunately, the only resolution that she is able to obtain is a brief confrontation with her father in which she overpowers him and triumphs over his sexist philosophies. The most obvious similarities are the conformity of the films to the attributes of the genre. All the ingredients from domineering parents to popular love interests are in the mix. Another key similarity is the friendship of awkward confidants like Plato from "Rebel" and Marisol from "Girlfight." "An emotionally-disturbed, anguished 'orphan'" (Dirks par. 8), Plato desperately seeks a connection and understanding in Jim. He worships and respects Jim and Judy like the parents he never had. Since "All of them are connected together by their problems - they all suffer from a lack of love and feelings of abandonment, and they all experience difficulties relating to their parents" (par. 8). Similarly, tomboyish Diana finds a friend in naïve Marisol who strives to fit in with the popular crowd. She is the first person that Diana entrusts with her secret ambitions in boxing. It is evident that these movies focus on the same key thematic ideas although they pursue them from different perspectives.
Even though the plot lines of these two films possess many parallels which result in their belonging to the Coming of Age genre, these films also have specific areas in which they diverge from each other. Concerned with similar conventions and thematic concepts, both of the movies feature the maturation of a young adult who eventually finds the strength within him/herself to rise above the circumstances of his/her situation. Equally powerful, these two films bring attention to the social problems associated with growing up. At the same time, however, they are set across time and culture. This generation and culture gap leads to inevitable differences between the movies. Written for different audiences, about youth of different genders growing up in different eras, and about teenagers from different backgrounds, these are two clearly distinct films. Set in the 1950's, "Rebel" deals with well to do families that encounter unexpected problems with their youth while "Girlfight" is set in the twenty-first century and recognizes adolescent problems of teenage girls growing up in the projects. Following the classical structure of film, Jim Stark is the typical teenager who struggles to gain a sense of direction and purpose in life. He deals with the everyday trials and tribulations of growing up in the 50's. Born and raised in an upper middle class family, he is lucky enough to experience financial security. Oppositely, Diana Guzman, although a teenager, is an angry female who is "trying to fight her way out of a broken home, the Brooklyn projects and a general sense of ennui" (Toppman par. 3). In addition to the traditional adolescent film, "Girlfight" has a twist from the start" (par. 3). Not only is Diana forced to deal with the growing up, she has to do so in a more morally corrupt decade in a tough neighborhood. Moreover, she has to cope with an unsympathetic father and the physical and social barriers of her gender. The most significant difference between Jim and Diana, however, is the fact that Diana recognized her need for a positive outlet for her pent up aggression and actively searched to find one.
Unaffected by time, the iconography of the Coming of Age Genre, is a constant that the audience can rely on. The two main symbols of the genre are the high school campus swarming with energetic young adults and the persona of the main character. Classic and modern alike, both films use scenarios closely identified with the teen genre. For example, both movies employed a school scene in which the interaction between the lead character and his/her peers are exhibited. In "Rebel" it is Jim's first day at his new school and his eyes sweep across the hall to meet Judy's while in "Girlfight" Diana is shown picking a fight in the hallway during passing period. Furthermore, both the lead characters resonate the same kind of personality: rugged, angry individuals who display no need for affection. Thus, it is seen that regardless of time period, films within the Coming of Age Genre rely on the same icons to create meaning.
