Online Response: Son of Rambow

As a child who grew up without a television, Son of Rambow felt eerily autobiographical. I too spent hours dressing up in costumes and throwing myself about the house, pretending to (complete with dialogue, theme music, and multiple episodes) destroy imaginary foes. For this reason, Son of Rambow was deeply instructive as it brought me back to a mindset that I had as a child. As a creative writer, I find that my maturity often leads to a pessimism that is at ends with the boundless optimisms I felt as a child. Son of Rambow helped taught me again some of the truths I knew as a child.
I believe that this is one of the main purposes of this film. Son of Rambow and other films about young children, but which are intended to be viewed by teens or adults, are instructive in that they can bring us back to the worldview we may have had as a child. As discussed in class, lots of children media has the opposite goal: of helping children to understand the experience of adults. The value of this is greatly important as we mature. We may, however, discount the value of a piece of art which can take us back to the things we learned as a child. From this purer, more curious perspective, our more mature hearts may learn anew.
Son of Rambow is full of this exuberant child-like energy. The animations appear hand drawn. The almost magical aesthetic of the film is representative of the way in which children see opportunities in the world, as opposed to limitations. For film makers, the film is particularly enjoyable. Many of those who work in film have fond memories of the first films they made as youth. Though it is comical to see the kids in Son of Rambow mimic the work ethic and lingo of adult filmmaking, this scene may serve a deeper purpose. In the capitalistic pressure of the film industry, that child-like exuberance is lost. When we take a moment to learn from children, and learn from art made by children, it may help us to focus on the creative aspect of art as opposed to its marketability.
Finally, the virtue of forgiveness and friendship is expounded in Son of Rambow. This is perhaps one of the most pure memories of childhood. In many ways, this film, like many other films about children, are drawing upon a nostalgic childhood that never existed. As Baudrillard might say, our desire to return to childhood is to return to an simulacrum, a fake reality that never actually existed. Though I do believe this plays into the charm of Son of Rambow and others like it, I simultaneously believe that it can teach us of the joy and exuberance of childhood. Son of Rambow is not just a movie to be enjoyed by kids, it as a movie to teach us about the joys of childhood and childlike imagination.