Abstract

Film is a medium of entertainment that often attempts to present and resolve important social issues, such as the status of older men and women. American films The Trip to Bountiful and 0n Golden Pond and the Italian film Stanno Tutti Benne (Everybody's Fine) offer three contemporary, positive portrayals of being old. Each film touches on two important issues: gender roles and intergenerational conflict. I draw on gerontological literature and theories of media to examine how these three films represent these issues. I find that the narrative resolutions of all three films sentimentalize the struggle that exists between generations and also fail to question generalizations about gender roles and age. In short, film has the opportunity to enframe experience, making social, economic, and political connections across generations and the gendered character of aging easier to comprehend; however, feature films have yet to confront ageism, a prominent force in America and Western Europe.