MovieChat Forums > Harold and Maude (1971) Discussion > Diary of a Pedophile

Diary of a Pedophile

posted 13 years ago by HellRaidertr
31 replies | jump to latest

Before you resort to your ultimate weapon of ending a discussion -calling me a troll- I urge you to hold yourself and continue reading.

We do not feel 'very' uncomfortable about the relationship between Harold and Maude since Harold is a guy and Maude is a woman. It is similar to the movie "The Reader". However have you ever wondered what you would make of a movie about a young girl who is in relationship with an elderly man? Well, thats what we call a definite case of pedophilia. The movie would probably be heavily criticized and branded as a movie for sick-minded people.

I do not care if Maude seemed innocent and did not have ulterior motives. The age difference is so big it can not be ignored. Yes thats the point of the movie, I get it. One of the messages it gives is that whatever leads to happiness shall be pursued. Thanks to Maude, Harold now feels more comfortable driving like crazy and witnessed a suicide event which is in no way explainable. My guess is Harold is now way more psychologically unstable compared to before that he should get immediate help to prevent self inflicted injuries or suicide.

What's more stupid is she did not act like a 80 yo either. And all you can say about this is because she survived the holocaust. I would have never guessed anyone who survived holocaust could be so inexplicably happy and suicidal at the same time. This can be clearly described as mood swings which is a psychological condition. This movie is pure fantasy and it is beyond my comprehension how it achieved a 8.0 rating on here.

On a side note I could not see any spectacular cinematography work either. This movie fails on so many levels I think 5 out of 10 is even too much.

I guess I shouldn't have trusted Cameron Diaz from "There is something about Mary". Stupid blondes...

There goes my rant, thanks for your insults.

Hey, Soldier. Do you know who's in command here?

[–] fugazzi49 9 years ago

I can agree with you that many people including myself find the age difference bizarre and that were the genders switched it probably wouldn't be made today. But in any case Harold is not a pre-pubescent child and so this is not a movie about pedophilia. Besides, the attraction, though consumated, was presented as an attraction of spirit and not just physical.

[–] lm362 9 years ago

They did make a movie about an older man involved with a much younger woman. It was Sweet Hostage with Linda Blair and Martin Sheen. I believe in the movie, her character was 15 or 16 and he was in his mid to late 30's.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
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[–] SCsurfguy 8 years ago

By definition, no. She isn't a pedophile.

But an 80 year old who goes after a 20 year old is creepy, and has something seriously wrong with her.

People that age who are attracted to someone that young have major issues, in fact. And it doesn't create a healthy situation.

I find it remarkable people are actually defending it. Especially women. Because if the genders were switched women would be calling holy foul.

Total double standard.

An 80 year old who goes after a 20 year old is pretty disturbed. And a 20 year old who sleeps with an 80 year old has major issues too.

And though they are both adults, the 80 year old is much more of an adult, especially if the 20 year old is a guy, because as it's already been stated guys are way immature at the age…..even if they're "legal." The 80 year old should be in better control of the situation. Is s/he isn't, then again, the issues are profound.

[–] julesaz 8 years ago

I'm not 80 -- yet. But if I knew I'd be dead soon, and I found a 20-year-old person interesting and we became friends, what would be so terrible about allowing romance and sex to develop? For, like, three days, after which the 20-year-old person could go on with their life, having had experiences they ideally enjoyed and learned from.

I'm not aware of any mental disturbances or issues that tend to manifest as a desire for a relationship with a significant age difference. Or any that would invariably be diagnosed in the presence of such a relationship.

Our laws say that an adult who has sex with a minor is responsible for everything that happens. People younger than 18 are not equipped to make those decisions, so anything you do with them is considered taking advantage of them. People between 18 and 25 are not much more mature neurologically, we now know, but they're allowed to have boyfriends and girlfriends.

As far as I can tell, adults don't get all that much better at relationships merely because of the passage of time. Someone can be a good partner at 30 or a *beep* partner at 75.

[–] sandysilvie36 8 years ago

In no way shape or form would she be a pedophile. At worst she'd be an ephebaphile and she's not even that.

[–] seamas-85553 8 years ago

A pedophile is someone who lusts after pre-pubescent children.

Harold is not only post-pubescent, he is old enough to enlist into the Army. He's at least 18.