Representation in The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners (Ben Palmer, 2011)

Consider and write notes on the following:

The representation of -

Age
The four main characters in the film are about 18 and just finishing school
They are represented in a realistic way for teenagers and do not give youths a violent name. They are shown as quite harmless and funny teenagers.
None of the characters are represented in a negative way, they all seem very normal and sterotypical for a group of 4, 18 year old boys at school together.

Ethnicity
The characters shown so far in the film are all white and throughout the rest of the film is it predominatley white. They meet a few Greek people on holiday that are in the film briefly, however all of the friends and characters who are featured more are all of the same ethnicity. However the representation of ethnicity is not very realistic as they are in the subburbs of London and there are no other ethnic backgrounds shown.

Gender
The 4 main characters are all male and are represented as sterotypically 'normal' teenage boys. They are not shown to seem violent, or aggressive. They seem to all get on with eachother very well and have formed their group out of friendship, not for the feeling of needing to be in a gang for any other reasons.
One of the boys, Will, is represented as the clever/geeky one. He is dressed smartly and is well presented.
Another boy, Jay, is represented as only being interested in girls and sex and having fun
The third, Neil, is represented as a bit dopey and unaware of what's going on around him
The last boy, Simon, is represented as quite emoitonal as he has just been dumped by his girlfriend.
The women have an important role in this film. On the surface of the male's feelings they see women sexually and talk about having sex a lot. However their underlying feelings are more realistic towards the women, shown when Carly breaks up with Simon and he keeps crying.

Social class and status
The beginning is set in a school, showing that they are all in education. This represents them in a positive way as it shows they are all still in school at 6th form, showing their intelligence, and that they are not getting up to no good on the streets or causing trouble. The social class is much more sophisticated. They live in quite a posh area with nice houses, showing they are middle class. Neil is also shown working in a supermarket. The parents are very much involved in their children's lives, also showing the middle class/traditional theme.

Social Class: Reinforcing Cultural Hegemony/Dominant Ideologies

- Working class British youths are generally represented as being violent, brutal, unapologetic, criminals, addictive personalities - Harry Brown, Eden Lake, Kidulthood, Quadrophenia

                                                                    Vs

- Middle class British youths are generally represented as being more law abiding, consious citizens - The Inbetweeners
- On top of this the antagonists (conflicting/fighting against) are always the working class youths and middle class adults are positioned to be the protagonists (hero)


Fish Tank

What ideas are used to introduce the main character?

Automatically we can see that location is in a council estate, the way the girl is dressed would be seen as chavvy. Alcohol and violence is shown in the trailer. However the main character is a female, and the way the trailer is set out the audience is put in a position to feel sorry for the girl and sympathise with her due to her voilent abusive alcoholic mother, she is seen more as a victim. As opposed to Harry Brown where the audience is made to dislike the youths. (Cultivation theory - environment has impacted on her life)
Less extreme than films like Eden Lake and Harry Brown. Comes across as a more realistic portrayal of life in council areas.