Sweet Sixteen Critical Approach Essay
Evaluate the usefulness of a critical approach you have examined, for an understanding of Sweet Sixteen . (20 marks) In Loach's Sweet Sixteen a Marxist critical approach is very useful for understanding the film, as it contextualises the reasons for Liam ending up selling drugs at only fifteen as a wider societal issue based on class, and therefore capitalism, leaving the working classes in poverty, without the proper support to leave it. These ideas are made apparent through the setting of the story, in one of the poorest parts of Glasgow, and through key sequences throughout, such as Liam's interactions with Tony, or the ending scene. The Marxist critical approach also allows Sweet Sixteen to be political, rather than humanist, and subvert narrative theories, such as Todorov's, by not allowing for resolution and a return to equilibrium. However, one shortcoming of a Marxist approach is its lack of focus on gender issues, something that a Feminist critical approach would...