Saturday's Netflix & chill - Alissa Musumeci
Rape, harassment, drugs and many other such themes: it's all there in the novel. Thirteen reasons by Jay Asher. For star Selena Gomes, producer of July Moon Productions, Representing these issues on screen, in the form of a «preventive series», required intense involvement. The mini-documentary 13 Reasons Why: Beyond reasons, released in parallel with season 1, is proof of this. The entire cast was able to count on the help of professionals - psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and company - to approach these issues in the most appropriate way. Shooting the film was no easy task: playing out harsh scenes such as assaults, while believing that this is a very real occurrence in some high schools between students, brought out enormous frustration in the actors.
We tell the story of Hannah Baker. It all starts with her. But I have to say that, personally, she's not the character for whom I had the most compassion. This poor girl didn't have the adolescence she'd dreamed of. Overwhelmed by everything that happens to her, she ends up taking her own life. But let's not forget that her act had been premeditated for some time, as the young girl records cassettes. These famous tapes incriminate her classmates, one after the other, of her suicide. Although many people shed tears for her throughout the first season, I found her mostly touchy-feely. And as the episodes progressed, my compassion for this young girl disappeared.
His story may not have touched me as much as others, but that doesn't mean I didn't realize the seriousness of his malaise and his irreversible act. Unfortunately, suicide among young people is becoming more and more frequent, and even professionals feel helpless in the face of these acts, which are an ever-increasing feature of teenage life. Kate Walsh, who plays Hannah's mother, had the good fortune, so to speak, to meet a woman very important to her role. This woman had lived through the suicide of her teenage daughter, and agreed to give Kate Walsh some advice, including how to rebuild after her daughter's death. She gave a most poignant testimony, which gave meaning to her work.
13 Reasons Why is primarily aimed at young adults, because the high school years are not full of joy for everyone. That's why the producers don't simply stop at a Netflix series, but set up an entire web page with emergency numbers, people ready to listen to young people in distress. And therein lies the fundamental beauty of this project. Targeting a platform adored by teenagers to ensure views, while at the same time committing body and soul to prevention and mutual aid. Even if it means pure marketing, It doesn't matter, the help is concrete, it's real. No matter, the help is concrete, it's real.
I think this project worked so well because one of the main producers, Selena Gomes, was a victim of harassment herself. Who better than a direct victim to understand just how serious the situation has become, and how it absolutely must take a completely different turn?
Some scenes can be taken to extremes, such as the physical and sexual assault of young Tyler. In this short but intense moment, we see the young teenager being beaten very violently. To top it all off, his attacker penetrates him with a broomstick. Humiliation after humiliation. The viewer sees the entire massacre, as well as the puddle of blood in which the lonely, traumatized teenager bathes. The director has done well not to use any filters, not to embellish these atrocious scenes, because it's only in the face of such shock that the public becomes aware of the horrors that young people can go through, and that's how the «we must act quickly and radically» trigger happens.
Told like this, this series doesn't seem to have many happy moments or moments that inspire laughter and good humor, well think again! One of the most beautiful scenes is in the season finale. We're made to understand the meaning of family with a capital «F». Justin Foley, who battles drug addiction throughout the series, has no parents and is finally adopted by the Jensen family, dies of HIV.
Clay finds himself alone in his room and comes across the text Justin had sent as his college application, the theme of which was «a person who has had a positive influence in our lives». Justin mentions Clay without hesitation, recounts how he was the only one who supported him from the start, and utters the corny-sounding but beautiful line: «Even though I've never had a family, I know what it's like to have one, because Clay is my brother.» A simple friendship can grow even stronger than a true blood bond. Blood that flows when despair wins. The blood that binds when there are still thirteen reasons to hope. Always. Always.
Write to the author: alissa.musumeci@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Netflix
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