Hey so I was just wondering if anyone else had seen this movie? It's all about a group of high school boys as they try and pass their exams and eventually learn to mature. It has been referred to as a gay-friendly film, however I disagree with that statement. In the movie, one of the boys has a crush on one of his classmates, and he receives comfort and understanding from his friends and teachers, which is a positive. But then one of the professors is gay as well, except he likes to touch the boys. This is where I was really weirded out because they play it off as a regular thing for a homosexual to do. Also, at the very end of the movie, all of the boys discuss where they think they will be in 10 years, or whatever. The gay character says that he will become a teacher, and while he will not touch the boys, it will be a daily struggle for him. WTF?! How is this movie in any way gay-friendly?
What year is it set? I've heard of it, from what you describe it doesn't sound quite like the sort of model to set for modern day gays.
I've watched the movie and thought that it was a brilliant movie. 1. The movie explores a variety of themes. Though I don't recall that it explicity convey that touching boys is a 'regular' thing for homosexuals to do. It just had a character, Hector, whose sexuality was not explicit, who liked to touch boys - one of the themes that it explores. 2. To say that all teachers should not have the temptation to engage in sexual intimacy with all students is simply naive. Where the law draws the line is acting on them. The character, Crowther (I think?), said that he won't be touching boys but will be tempted to do so. History boys is a movie that explores many complicated themes, which is why I like it.
I know that it doesn't flat out say that homosexuality = pedophilia, but it made a normal discussion about it, which kind of creeped me out. Crowther was just a strange character though. He liked guys his own age, but then admits that he will have to fight the urge to molest children later in life (a bit odd don't you think?). There is also the matter of Irwin, who up until the very end of the movie was thought to be straight, then suddenly Dakin randomly offers him a blowjob and he seems to jump at the idea. I don't think this was trying to make a social statement about teacher-student relationships, I think it was just saying that all adult gay men love younger boys. Oh and Holmes, I think the movie is set in the 1980s.
Yeah, I've never really been sure what this movie was trying to say about this. The one thing I will say, though, is that it isn't necessarilly pedophilia, since I figure these boys are at least 16 or 17, which is legal for various things depending on where you are. And there is that scene near the start of the play where Richard Griffith's character refuses to take one of the boys on his bike because the boy is 'too young'. So it's not totally indiscriminate, and, in moral terms, it is perhaps more of an issue with the teacher being in loco parentis and so forth, rather than pedophilia.
The boys are meant to be 18 years old, and Irwin is around 30 I think. Hector is actually a peadophile ... or that's what I thought of it. And it really doesn't look like it's seen as a 'normal' thing homosexuals do. He's shouted at and fired (I know more should have been done). With Irwin and Dakin, I think Dakin is meant to be, ultimately, quite seductive and alluring, and that may be why Irwin 'jumped' at the idea. All the boys are of age, but I can see why it would be inappropriate. The character who is refused by Hector to go on his bike is the gay character. I think he's the youngest and hasn't turned 18 yet, so Hector does have some kind of social acceptibility.
Yeah I guess you're right that it isn't pedophilia by definition, but extremely creepy nonetheless. And I know that Hector was yelled at and fired, but that was by the headmaster, who everyone hated and who you could refer to as the "villain" of the film. Everyone else wanted him to stay even though they knew what he was.
Well, most of the students in his class didn't think it was too big of a problem. Like I said, complex themes. Sometimes we do not necessarily agree with the point of view of characters in film, but perhaps that's the whole point of the film - perhaps it's to see if we can understand or even empathise with them.
I like complex themes as well, but what is the point in debating pedophilia? I think you're going to hard pressed to find anyone that is going to sympathize with that.
Perhaps that is the point in debating it. I mean, we're certainly not in deep, 'horrifying abuse of 5 year olds' territory, this is more of a gray area on the fringes that is possibly painted too much with the same brush. I'm not saying I agree with it, but there's no reason not to have the conversation.
