Characters - Social Realism

Characters
Ahead of our decision on what characters and actors we wanted for our teaser trailer, we decided to do some research into a variety of different characters from films of the social realism genre.

• Sam Peel (Kidulthood, Adulthood, Brotherhood)

Sam Peel is portrayed as the antagonist in the first film. He appears in a very negative light, as the school bully. The film follows a story in which some boys trick their way into his house to retrieve a Game Boy he had stolen from them, they also steal his cannabis and one has sex with his girlfriend. When Sam returns he aggressively threatens them and consequently is attacked, and so is his mother. Here, it is clear that the plot conforms to stereotypes of everyday life for teenagers/young adults in West London. His character is shown to be very aggressive and dominant throughout, after witnessing his mother being knocked to the ground he attacks and beats 'Trevor' with a baseball bat, resulting in death.

The second film (Adulthood) shows Sam's struggling but evolving character where it begins with his release from prison. His character is proven to have changed dramatically, making it clear he is not the person he was six years ago by learning from his mistakes. In the film, Sam is attacked on a bus after the murder is brought up in conversation, although he does gain control of the fight beating the man into submission. These actions show that the character is still troubled thus conforming to the stereotypical West London young adult from a low-income background. Adulthood also includes Sam having flashbacks to his prison days proving just how much the crime haunts him. At one point in the film, Sam finds himself in yet another life-threatening situation which evolves into him being in a position of revenge, as he is about to kill 'Dabs' he has another flashback to the murder and relents; portraying his guilt and changed behaviour. In another scene, Sam mugs a couple walking down a street at gunpoint, although this shows he's still troublesome and criminal, he apologises for doing it, something he wouldn't have done in the previous film.

• Susie Salmon (The Lovely Bones)

Susie Salmon is a 14 year old girl from Norristown, Pennsylvania. After taking a shortcut home from school, she was persuaded into her neighbour's house to take a look at an underground den he recently dug. He then raped and murdered her, leaving her remains in a safe and then dumping them in a sinkhole. As her spirit travels to her personal heaven, it passes one of her classmates, a social outcast named Ruth.